


The ones who dyed inside

by Elysabeth



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: (but being paranoid doesn't mean there isn't someone trying to kill you), Agender Hange Zoë, Alternate Universe - Detectives, Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, Concerning Amount of Puns and References, Dullahan - Freeform, Kitsune, Korean Levi, M/M, Magic, Mild Gore, Minor Violence, Original Character Death(s), Other, Selkies, Slight Paranoia, Slurs, SnK Minibang 2016, Supernatural Creatures, Witches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-04
Updated: 2016-12-04
Packaged: 2018-08-13 00:02:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 30,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7954225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elysabeth/pseuds/Elysabeth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Levi Ackerman, 34, has been a detective for the past 6 years and can say he has seen some weird stuff. But nothing beats this: the victims are all gray. Not the dull gray of sickness, no. Everything about them is in shades of gray, from the color of their eyes to the color of their blood. </p><p>As Levi investigates, he finds his way to 6-Fix-Under (‘we repair everything and morgue’) a repair shop, and meets its strange owner, Hange, and their employee Eren. He quickly realizes that these murders may be a bit far from his jurisdiction and (reluctantly) enlists their help and a few others on the way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. On Wednesday we wear gray

**Author's Note:**

> i should not be allowed to write, i have indulged in too many puns in this fic
> 
> i also invite all my readers to play along with [this bingo for urban fantasy](http://elyteracy.tumblr.com/post/148009724217/how-to-tell-if-youre-in-an-urban-fantasy-story) and see how much clichés i've managed to fit in it

At this moment, Levi Ackerman is very much considering a career change.

Being a detective means nothing really fazes you anymore. Or that's what Levi had thought, at least. He's wondering if he should change the statement to 'almost nothing'.

He's seen the file, of course. Two death, the bodies completely devoid of colors. It is like looking at a black and white photograph. Even then, nothing could prepare him for the sight of the woman as gray as the pavement.

In her early thirties, around 1m70, probably caucasian based on her physical and facial features, thin build. It is impossible to identify the color of her skin, her eyes or hair.

"What do we know about her?" He asks. Connie hands him the victim's ID.

"Alice Beauregard," he reads from it. "French."

"Aren't you French, Levi?" Connie asks. He's looking around the crime scene for clues. The shutter of the camera goes off. The tip of his tongue peeks out at the corner of his lips.

"I thought you were Korean," Sasha chimes in. She's taping around to prevent onlookers. She sends him a smile over her shoulder.

Connie and Sasha, always together, have been working with him for the past two years, and he is rather pleased with their work.

Not that he would ever tell them.

"Both, Blouse," he sighs. "I am both. Now go back to work."

They duck their head sheepishly. They hustle around the body, inspect it. "No defensive marks, she was either taken by surprise, or she knew the attacker," they conclude.

Levi nods. Alice Beauregard looks like she just fell. Her clothes are not disordered, her makeup is not smeared. There is no trace of fighting. The way terror is etched on her frozen features and the unnatural grayness of her body are the only proofs it is a homicide and not a heart attack.

And that she's not the only one.

They haven't found the link between the victims yet. Levi is starting to wonder if there is even one. It is possible they are random victims. Wrong place, wrong time.

While it is a possibility, Levi has rarely seen it during his six years as a detective. 90% of the time, the victims have something in common. It can be that they are all pretty brown-haired women, or something less obvious, such as the same taste for disgusting grape flavored candies.

(One of his hardest and most ridiculous cases. The killer had such a strong grudge against people who like grape flavored candies that he'd taken to killing them. Levi does agree they are not normal people and should usually be avoided, but murdering them is just one step too far.)

"What have you found?" He asks Sasha. She's their best elements when it comes to finding information on the internet. He's not even sure when she finds them, sometimes. He's allowed himself to turn a blind eye to it.

Sasha reads off her phone screen. "Not married, no kids, parents currently in France. She's 31, she's been living in the city for five years. She lives a couple blocks away in Varsity Road. "She turns her phone off. "The body was discovered an hour ago by a passerby."

"Where are they now?"

Sasha points her chin to a young man sitting on a bench, his hands around a fuming coffee cup. "It's this guy, here. He says he doesn't know her."

Levi thanks her and makes his way toward him. He looks up when Levi arrives in front of him. His blue eyes are dropping and he barely seem to be staying awake. Levi wonders what he was even doing out so early. "Hey, kid," Levi greets him. "What's your name?"

"Felix."

"Nice name. So, Felix, could you tell me a bit more on how you found the body?"

The corners of Felix's mouth pull down. "I already told it to your colleague," he says. "I'd just like to go home." He pulls his jacket tighter around himself. Levi feels pity for him. Though, he is also cold and tired because his phone had woken him up at 5 am, so it doesn't last.

"Sorry about that, we just need to get as many details as we can," he explains.

Felix tugs his beanie further on his black hair. "I was just walking when I saw her on the floor. I thought she'd slipped on ice or something, but then I saw that she was..." He trails off, looking faintly sick.

"Why were you out?"

"I was going to the grocery store."

Levi stops taking notes to stare at him. "Who goes shopping at five in the fucking morning? What were you even buying?" Felix slowly turns red, from his neck to the tip of his ears. He mumbles something Levi doesn't catch. "What was that?"

"Condoms," Felix repeats, not meeting his eyes.

A beat passes. Levi has to make a tremendous effort to keep himself from laughing. Felix's face is as red as a tomato. It doesn't help. "I see," he says carefully. "That will be all, thank you for answer."

"Can I go home?"

"Yes, kid," Levi assures. "Go back to your girlfriend. Or boyfriend. Whatever." He makes a shooing motion with his hand. Felix doesn't wait and practically runs away.

He walks back to Connie and Sasha who are discussing on the possible cause of death. None of them seem very plausible, and none can explain the strange color (or the lack of colors more specifically) of the body.

"So?"

"He's just a kid who wanted to get laid. He was out to buy condoms. I actually don't think he got them."

"I'm not sure he'll still be in the mood after discovering a body," Sasha jokes.

"I would be mildly concerned if he were," Levi commented.

Connie bursts out laughing. Sasha tries to contain hers, but it doesn't quite work. Even Levi can feel his lips pull up in a smile.

Eventually, they go back to work. They don't discover anything else on the body apart from a mark that looks like a hickey behind her ear, and something like scratches on her arm.  
  
**...**  
  
"So, you are the landlady. Did you know Alice well?"

"Not really, she was a rather quiet person. She never caused me any problem. Always paid on time, followed all the rules of the building."

"Did you see anyone suspicious the past few days? Did she bring anyone new home?"

"No, sorry. She didn't really bring many people home. I only saw her with people a few times. She was quite private. She was out for the night more often, though. Not that it was really that often."

"Thank you, Madam."

**...**

"You worked with Alice, right?'

"I did."

"Did you know her well?"

"Not really. She was private. It took me three months to learn she had a boyfriend! Unbelievable."

"She had a boyfriend, I see. Can you tell me more about him?"

"I don't know much, to be honest. His name is... David? Yeah, David. He works in cinema advertising, it's the only thing I know. I'm half convinced she was with him only because she was so crazy about movies."

"Well, thank you, Miss, you have been quite helpful."

**...**

"Did you know your neighbor well, sir?"

"No."

"Please answer the question with as much details as you can."

"Fine."

"What did you know about Alice Beauregard, then?"

"Quiet girl. Quite pretty. Organized. Polite. That's all."

"Thank you. She seemed to have a boyfriend named David. Did you know him?"

"A Mexican, pff. She was really wasted on this guy. Pretty white girl like her. I've seen him maybe once or twice. David Flores, was his name. I wouldn't be surprised if he killed her, you know. You can't trust these Mexicans."

"Thank you, sir."

**...**

Levi knocks on the door. "David Flores?" He calls.

He doesn't have to wait long. A tall guy with black curly hair and brown skin opens the door. "It's me. What can I do for you?"

"My name is Levi Ackerman. I'm a detective. We would like to ask you a few questions about your girlfriend."

David frowns, looking a bit panicked. It seems genuine, but Levi has seen a lot of good actors. "What? Did something happen to her?"

"It would be wiser to sit, sir."

David steps away from the door. His movements are stiff as he takes a seat on the couch. His hands bunch up the fabric of his jeans.

Levi has never liked announcing a death, but with time, he thinks he's become a little numb to it. "Your girlfriend is dead, sir. We found her body this morning." He pauses, softens his voice. "I'm sorry for your loss."

David stays still. "It's not- it's not possible," he breathes. "I texted her yesterday, she had just left work! How can she be dead?!"

Levi carefully puts a hand on his arm. "I really am sorry for your loss, sir," he repeats. "But for the purpose of this investigation, I have to ask you where you were last night."

David stands up briskly. "How dare you!? Are you insinuating I killed my girlfriend?"

"It is routine, calm down, sir," Levi orders. David is two heads taller than him. He is towering over him. Levi is not impressed. He has dealt with far worse before.

"Don't patronize me! Get out of here!" David yells.

"Sir, if you don't comply, I will have to arrest you," Levi warns.

"Sal de mi casa!" David shouts in Spanish. He tries to push Levi by the shoulders. Levi grabs his arm, and using his small stature, slips under it, and twists it behind his back.

"Don't move, or I'll break your arm."

"Fuck you," David utters, behind clenched teeth. Levi sighs. It is not the way he wanted this to go. He claps the handcuffs around his wrist.

"Mister Flores, you'll be accompanying me to the post."

He pushes him out of the door.

**...**

Levi looks at David from the other side of the glass. He hears the door open. Erwin steps into the room. He is pristinely dressed, as always. His blue eyes jumped from David inside and Levi.

"A suspect?" He asks as if he didn't follow every step of Levi's progress on the case. As a lawyer, he always had the uncanny ability to get involved in Levi's case.

Levi shakes his head. "I don't think he could have done it." David is holding his head in his hand, staring blankly at the table. He doesn't move. "Look at him. It's hard to fake distress as good as the one he's showing right now."

"Mmh, I trust your intuition, Levi," Erwin says.

"I know."

Erwin leaves the room. He follows him to the door. Connie and Sasha are propped against the wall, trying to look inconspicuous. They are not very successful. Levi signs for them to come in.

Sasha takes a look at David inside and frowns. "He's the boyfriend?"

"Yes. David Flores, 28, half-Mexican."

Connie flattens his nose against the glass. "Connie, don't," Levi orders. "Or I'll make you clean the fucking glass."

Connie steps aside, his hands in the air as if to say I am innocent. Levi glares at him. He grins bashfully.

"He doesn't look like much," Sasha admits.

"It's our only lead.  A guy killing his girlfriend is unfortunately not rare," Levi reminds her, even though he doesn't quite believe it either.

"Well, let's talk to him and see," Connie jumps in.

David raises his head when he hears Levi comes in. His eyes are red and tired-looking. He looks defeated. "Finally come to see me?"

"I don't think you are a murderer." Levi sits in front of him, the murder file in front of him.

David snorts. "Glad to know that."

"I still need to know what you were doing yesterday night."

David sighs. He runs a hand through his hair. They look greasy and full of tangles. He must have pulled on them. "I was home. I don't- No one can confirm it."

Levi hums. "What did you eat last night?"

David frowns, looking confused. "What?"

"Just answer the question."

"I don't know I just... I ordered. The delivery boy came in around nine?"

"How long does it take you to go to Alice's apartment?"

"I don't have a car. Maybe forty minutes with the subway."

"There it is, you have your alibi. You couldn't have been home at nine and gone to kill your girlfriend who we believe was murdered around the same time," Levi says, without looking up from his file. "No wasted time, no wasted money."

David is looking at Levi like he is crazy. He reckons it makes sense. He just doesn't have the patience nor the envy to deal with this bullshit. He knows the boyfriend is not the killer (for once). This case is too strange, and the victim being not the only one, it wouldn't be logical.

Levi pulls out the pictures of the two other victims. One was a stripper who died in the street behind the nightclub she worked at. The other was a middle-aged man with a family who was found in his garden late at night.

"Do you know any of them?"

David takes the picture of the woman. "She is so young," he says. "Why were they killed?"

"That's what we are are hoping to find out." Levi looks at him straight in the eye. "I need you to answer these questions as honestly as you can."

David nods. He looks slightly distressed but determined. "I will do my best."

"Did your girlfriend have any enemy?"

David shakes his head. "Not really, no," he answers. "She wasn't always the nicest person, but she was always respectful. Respect had always been very important for her. No one could have hated her enough to kill her, though."

Levi nods. "As you can see, your girlfriend wasn't the only victim of this specific type of crimes. We are still looking for a connection. Did she take part in any group activities?"

"Not any I am aware off." He looks a bit embarrassed for a moment. "She wasn't really open on her private life. There were many things I didn't know about her." His fingers tap nervously against the table. A pianist, Levi thinks, or at least a musician. "She liked cinema a lot. She has ― had ― all those fancy old movies in her apartment. She regularly dragged me to films festivals." He laughs, thinking about those times. Until Levi sees his face decompose. "I guess we'll never go together again..."

"I'm sorry, David." Levi leaves him a moment to gather his composure again. "Last question, I promise. Did she do anything suspicious or out of the ordinary the past few days or weeks?"

"I don't-" He pauses. "Well, she did go to this shop. What was the name again... a real corny name," he mumbles. "Oh, yes! I remember. It was named 6-fix-under. Wait, I think I've got the card in my wallet."

He pulls it out of the back pocket of his jeans. He puts a card on the table. It is dark gray, with a few words written in silver.

_6-fix-under_  
_We fix everything and morgue_

Just under the inscription, a stylized drawing of a grave with a wrench carved on it.

Levi probably stares at it longer than accepted. He feels like he'd just tipped over in a comedy show and someone is going to jump from behind him and yell: "Surprise, it was all a joke!"

God, he wishes it actually happened.

It doesn't, obviously. It would be too easy. With a sigh, he slides the card inside the file. "Thank you, David. You've been helpful. Please stay in the city in case we need you again."

David doesn't move. Levi glances at him. "Just get the hell out of here." He waves at the door. David slowly stands up. With one last look to the picture of Alice on the table, he leaves.

**...**

  
He's had the night to prepare for his trip to the shop. It is tucked in a small street. It looks rather inconspicuous from outside.

Levi opens the door. A little bell clings. The shop is filled with a faint odor of incense. He steps cautiously inside. His shoes make loud noises on the wooden floor. There doesn't seem to be anyone. The place is a clustered mess. A shelve of books is next to boxes filled with wool. On the right, clothes. Hats are hung everywhere. He can see a flower pot filled with jewelry. A shoebox contains tiny dolls. No empty space is visible.

He trips. He curses loudly and catches the first thing he can to steady himself. He is met with two black empty eye sockets.

"Fuck!" He jerks back. He reaches instinctively for his gun.

He groans. It was only a plastic skeleton wearing a sombrero.

"His name is Gabriel," says a voice behind him, followed by a short laugh. He turns around. He is greeted by a wide smile and twinkling brown eyes. "He is Mexican. He wears a sombrero ironically. It is to mock white people."

Levi observes them. They are rather tall, thin, feminine-like. Their brown eyes are sharp and curious, inspecting Levi. Their brown hair is held up in a messy bun. Big round glasses are perched on their nose. They don't look crazy. Or they probably wouldn't if Levi hadn't seen the content of their shop. Or hadn't heard them talk about a plastic skeleton as if it was alive.

"Hi, I'm Hange Zoë," they say. Their eyes crinkle at the corner when they smile. "What can I do to help?"

"Detective Levi Ackerman." He holds up his badge. "I'm investigating a murder case." He pulls out the picture of the third victim, Alice Beauregard.

He watches them frown as they inspect the picture. "Weird case you got there, Detective." Levi wants to laugh. That's an understatement. He makes a point to keep his face professionally blank. "Do you know how it happened? What caused the gray? Was there other victims? It couldn't be a melanin problem. She looks totally gray. That's biologically impossible. Do we know what caused the death? The lack of colors? Or did she died during it? Maybe even before."

They stare at him expectantly. He doesn't know what to say. He has barely understood half of what they asked. "I can't answer this."

They look pensive. "That's fair. Confidentiality, I figure." It's not the problem, but he doesn't want to correct them.

"I'd like to ask you a few questions, Miss Zoë?"

"Sure can do, but I'd prefer if you referred to me as Doctor, or just Hange, please," they request.

Levi shrugs. It doesn't matter to him. "We have found a card from your shop in her house. Do you know her?"

Hange thinks for a moment. "I don't remember her," they admit. "It's possible my assistant took care of her. Let me ask him."

Hange is cut short by a loud noise. Smoke escapes from the employee door at the back of the room. Levi glances at Hange. They don't look at all nervous or at least slightly surprised. Instead, they are grinning.

"What was that?"

"My assistant."

"What?"

A silhouette appears through the smoke. He can hear coughing. Hange opens the door and the windows. Wind bells chime with the air passing through. The smoke dissipates.

A young man is standing in front of them, in jeans and a white scientist coat. He takes off his glasses.

Levi is startled by how bright his eyes are. The color of the ocean, they pop out against his dark amber skin. "I almost got this one right, Hange!" He exclaims, his grin wide. His eyes fall on Levi and he instantly sobers up. His eyes turn suspicious, his eyebrows pulled in a frown. "What's a human doing here?" He asks. Levi is startled by the way he emphasizes human.

Hange holds up the picture. "Murder case." Eren doesn't even look surprised. "Come check if you know the girl."

Eren throws one last dirty look to Levi before taking the picture. "Oh yeah, I know her! Alicia, right?"

"Alice, actually," Levi corrects.

"You do know colored photography exists?" He mocks, with an eyebrow raised.

"It is colored photography," Levi deadpans.

Eren huffs and turns his gaze back to the picture. "I know her," he confirms. He takes a moment to think. "She came in maybe two weeks ago? She wanted to restore a book, I think. She came back for it around ten days ago, I think."

Levi takes notes. "Do you remember the title of the book?"

Eren shrugs. "Not really, I just took it and put it with the rest of books to restore. It was about cinema, that I'm sure. Something about creating your own black and white movie star? Something like that." He shrugs. "She was nice, even though she always seemed to be in a hurry." He frowns. "I don't like it that she died."

"I must have the log somewhere, please wait," Hange says as they duck behind the counter. They pull out a huge book and starts skimming through the pages. "She came back for it exactly nine days ago and paid cash. The name of the book is DIY: Create your own black and white movie star."

Levi writes it down, ignoring the ridiculousness of the title. "It's only a routine question, but could you tell me about your whereabouts yesterday night around 9 pm?"

"I was at the bar until.. 2am, I think? It's the one down the street, at the corner," Hange answers.

"I live with my sister. I was at home, she can confirm I didn't go out," Eren gives his alibi.

Levi thanks them.

He is already in the street when he hears Hange's voice behind him. They are standing propped against the door. "You won't find the culprit by yourself," they say. "Your world is too narrow."

"I've been a detective for six years. It has never bothered me before," he taunts back.

They laugh. "You don't get it, Detective. Come back when you've hit a wall you can't climb without help. You've got the card."

They wink.

Levi glares at them, and they only smile. They wave, teasing before going back inside their shop. Levi can see the silhouette of the Gabriel the Mexican Skeleton behind the window. He shakes his head. This is stupid. They are just some weird crazy shop owner.

He doesn't need advice from them.


	2. Headbusters

Levi turns the key. The door opens. He throws the murder files on the coffee table and takes off his shoes. He makes tea.

Finally, his cup warm in his hand, he can relax.

He takes a sip. He likes the burning feeling of the drink. His phone clings.  ' _hey boss, wanna go out with us on friday night'_ , writes Sasha. He smiles. He really likes Sasha. Even then, he doesn't feel comfortable enough to spend the evening with his subordinates. ' _No, but thank you for the invitation_ ', he writes back.

He opens the file. Alice Beauregard's picture is the first thing he sees. She's smiling conservatively, looking to her right. He wonders who was there. Smiling did suit her. It makes her severe brown eyes a little less sharp, her face a bit softer. As always, when he consults murder cases, he can't shake the feeling it hadn't been her time.

He puts aside Alice's dossier. He pulls out the other two victims.

The first one to be killed was called Lily Jones. She used to be a pool dancer and striper and had been arrested once for prostitution around four years ago. In her picture, her makeup is heavy. She is staring straight at the camera. There is laughter in her hazel eyes, however, and tiny wrinkles at the corner of them. She transpires joy.

The autopsy report is the same as the rest. No defensive wounds, no distinctive fighting marks. Her body is entirely gray. The doctor had noticed a few hickeys on the inside of her thighs, and another on the inside of her elbow. She was attacked the same way Alice was. In a dark narrow street behind the club she worked for. She had been found by one of her coworkers looking for her. A picture of the body had been taken. It was a strange sight. The body may have been gray, but her make-up and clothes were untouched. It looked like of those pictures where only one color was kept. Her red lipstick was impossibly bright against her colorless face.

He scowled. Twenty-one, she had been so young. All the other pole and stage dancers had said she was funny, lively girl. People had loved her. She had been a very popular dancer and enjoyed her job. It was written that an interview of her could be found on the youtube channel of the club.

He opened his laptop, typed in his password. The interview wasn't hard to find. She was more natural, with her dirty blond hair falling in big curls on her shoulder.

" _I like dancing._ " She laughs. " _It makes me feel powerful._ "

" _Aren't you scared sometimes?_ " Asks the interviewer. " _You could be attacked._ "

On the video, Lily shakes her head, her curls bouncing around her. " _Not really. The rules are clear and when they are not respected, you get thrown out. Our manager is a woman, she understands the risks and will always listen to our complaints. I really am lucky to work here._ "

Levi closes the tab. He's angry at whoever killed her. She was a lovely young lady, it was- it was-

Cruel.

He couldn't find any better word.

He rubs the bridge of his nose. Midnight, says his phone. He'll check the last victim tomorrow. It's time to go to sleep.

He returns everything to the files, stacking the sheets tidily and leaves it on the table. He gets ready for bed and slips under the covers before turning off his lamp.

He closes his eyes. It doesn't take him long to fall asleep.

He wakes up in the middle of the night. He looks around him wondering what could have woken him. His room is pitch black. He turns on the light. He sees nothing out of place. He slips out of bed. His bare feet don't make any sound as he walks to the living room.

Insomnia is not an unusual thing for Levi. The reason is often his cases. It makes him think of this french proverb. _La nuit porte conseil_. The night brings you advice. Sleep on it, he often hears it translated. He prefers the French version. It just doesn't sound the same in English.

Waking up because he realized something in a dream is common. The trick now, is to remember what.

He stares at Lily Jones' picture. More than pretty, he would say charming. She really had something. Her smile made her beautiful.

When his eyes land on Lily's murder date, it clicks. She was killed a week ago, exactly two days after Alice Beauregard went back for her book. Levi doesn't believe in coincidence. Maybe the book _is_ the link between the victims. He just has to find exactly  _how._

He needs it. He needs this fucking book if he's going to continue this investigation. It's his only lead.

He grabs a pair of jeans in his room. He knows he won't be going to sleep anyway. At least, he can do something useful. He steps into his snickers and a gray hoodie. He pulls on his leather jacket. He is not exactly allowed to visit a victim's apartment in the middle of the night. It's better if he is more casually dressed, it will make him less recognizable.

His bike is in the parking lot. He has to make a stop at the police station to get the keys.

The streets are completely clear. He resists the urge to speed up on the highway. He arrives in less than ten minutes. An officer is at the counter. He looks from his phone when he hears Levi enters. "Do you need something, sir?"

"Forgot my wallet," he lies smoothly. "I couldn't sleep and wanted to get some ice cream. Don't tell anyone, officer."

The young man hides a chuckle behind his hand. "I won't, sir."

He doesn't meet anyone in the corridors. He make his way to the evidence room. Alice's keys are in the box, easy to find. They were in her purse when she was found. He pockets them.

He's almost out of the building when he spots Erwin. He schools his face in a neutral mask. He calmly walks toward the exit, as if he hadn't seen him. "Detective, what are you doing so late at night? Or early in the morning," Erwin calls, checking his watch.

"Forgot my wallet."

Erwin's blue eyes sweep over his face. "Really," he says. "You needed it so late at night."

"Can't buy ice cream with no money," he justifies himself. Erwin nods and smiles at him. He doesn't reach his eyes. "And I could return the question to you," he shoots back, arching an eyebrow.

Erwin laughs softly. "Recalcitrant client. He's hiding some things. Since lack of sleep makes you more talkative, I thought it would loosen his tongue."

Levi can't help the smile that tugs at his lips. "Did it work?"

"It did."

He shakes his head. "Maybe you've been a war commander in another life," he jokes. "With torture techniques like that."

Erwin laughs in earnest. "I doubt it." He checks his watch again. "Well, it's starting to be quite late. Or early, depending on how you it. Good night, Detective."

Levi bids him goodnight too. He is on his  way out when his name gets called again. There is something soft in Erwin's eyes. Concern, Levi thinks. "Don't do anything dangerous, Levi."

He turns around. "I won't," he answers waving his hands.

**...**

He opens the door to Alice's apartment. He turns on his lamp torch and starts looking around.

Pairs of shoes are haphazardly thrown in the entry. He can spot a red stiletto under the couch. The place is quite tidy but still lived in. An empty cup of coffee is still on the table. A book and magazines are on the floor next to the sofa. He takes it. It is not the one he is looking for.  _La Nouvelle Vague, cinema d'apr_ _ès guerre_ , says the title. She did like cinema. One of the page's corner is folded. It is around the middle of the book.

She won't ever be able to finish it.

Levi puts it back in its place and moves on to the kitchen. All he finds are cooking books. None of them look very used.

He's checking one of them when he hears noise. His hand automatically goes for his gun. He raises it in front of him, ready to shoot. The silence is eerie. He isn't sure if he dreamt the noise. He flattens himself against the wall and silently opens the door.

He checks inside the bedroom. No one. He vaguely remembers someone mentioning another room. If there is a trespasser, they are probably in there. He tiptoes in the dark. Just when he thought he had just imagined things, he sees it.

Inside the study, a dark silhouette. From the height and the width of the shoulders, Levi figures it is a man. He is trailing his hand along the books. Levi wonders how he can see the titles in the darkness of the apartment. He steps inside, his finger on the trigger.

"You are under arrest for trespassing."

The man's head snaps toward him. Levi can only see black and it is not  _normal_. He should be able to at least see basic features. The silhouette doesn't move. Then, he strikes. Levi barely avoids his punch. He ducks under him, sweeping his feet. He catches him in the ankle. "Fuck," the trespasser swears, on the floor.

Levi jumps to his feet. The man sends his leg in the air, hitting the gun in his hand. It flies across the room. He runs after it. On the edge of his vision, the trespasser looks like a shadow on the wall. Levi jumps after him.

He slams him against the wall in the corridor. Decided to be done once and for all, he throws his hand toward him. The butt of the gun hits his temple. He watches with horror as his head falls on the floor. It rolls a bit. Levi stays frozen, a hand around the guy's throat.

The trespasser (without his head) slips from his hand by ducking down. Retrospectively, he thinks it is indeed useless to hold someone by the neck when they have no head. But right now, he is terrified by the idea that this fucking person  _has no head and is still moving._

How is he even still alive?

The headless body grabs his head from the floor. Levi chases him in the living room, but it's more out of habit than anything else. He's basically still in shock. He doesn't even react when the guy opens the window and throws himself outside, the book under his arm, his head under the other.

He knows it's _the_ book. He can feel it in his gut. However, right now, he is more busy reasoning that they are on the fourth floor. He must be hallucinating, it's the only thing that makes sense.

He goes back home in a daze and collapses half-dressed on his bed.

**...**

He calls in sick the next morning. He feels groggy and half-delirious with lack of sleep. He can barely stand up without feeling nauseous. He almost throws his phone across the room when it rings. It only gets saved by the name displayed on the screen.

"What do you want?" He mutters into the phone, without saying any greeting. He hears Erwin's laugh on the other side of line.

"Didn't sleep well?" Erwin asks, teasing. He mumbles something in the pillow. He's not sure himself what it is supposed to mean. "I'll take that as a confirmation."

"Screw you."

"Did you find anything last night?"

"There was someone in the apartment," he revealed. "A guy. He stole the book."

He hears Erwin's sigh. A moment of silence, and Levi knows he is choosing his words carefully. "What did he look like?" He asks, eventually. Levi is almost sure it isn't what he had wanted to ask.

"Look-" he starts. He rubs the bridge of his nose. His head hurts. "I can't really tell you. There was something not quite right about this guy. He..."

"He what?" Erwin urges him, impatient.

"I saw him lost his fucking head, okay? It fucking rolled on the floor."

"I... see," Erwin  says, very carefully. Levi can hear the disbelief in his voice. "Listen, it's Thursday. Why don't you take the rest of the week off?"

"I'm not some child, Erwin," he shoots back. "Don't treat me like one."

"I'm not. You haven't taken a sick day in years, Levi. Don't try to argue with me, I know it," Erwin warns him. "I'm your friend. I'm just... concerned about you."

"Cheap tricks," he mutters. Levi doesn't like to worry the few people he considers as friends in his life. "Fine. I'll see you on Monday." He hangs ups before Erwin can say anything else.

He goes back to sleep fairly easily. Apparently, he was tired enough that his insomnia didn't kick in for once. The sun is already high in the sky when he wakes up. He checks the time on his phone. It is close to noon. He drags himself to the kitchen. He seriously considers drinking coffee to wake himself up even though he hates it.

He respects himself too much in the end.

He collapses on his couch and goes for the remote to watch whatever he finds on tv. His gaze catches a rectangle of black. Curiosity makes him pull it out of his jeans, thrown hazardously  on the couch last night. It's the card from the shop, 6-fix-under.

 _Come back when you've hit a wall you can't climb without help. You've got the card,_ had said the shop owner. What was their name again? Hange. Hange Zoë.

He stares at the card. He tries to reason with himself. It's crazy. And yet, he's not sure he dreamt the trespasser losing their head last night. He needs to make sure. He stands up.

In ten minutes, he's dressed. He pockets his phone, his keys and his wallet and grabs his leather jacket and helmet on his way out.

**...**

He enters 6-fix-under a bit wary. There is no one at the counter, except for Gabriel the Mexican Skeleton. He's sitting on it. Levi steps a bit more inside. The small incense of familiar, now, and the soft sound windbell chimes is strangely comforting. This shop seems to live in its own dimension bubble.

He trails his fingers along a shelves of old radios. An old pink record player is next to them. Clothes are hanged just next to it. Dresses from the fifties, tiny colorful shorts. On the floor, a rank of roller derbies. Some are tame, in white, black or grey, but others come in atrocious colors. A lot of them are missing a wheel.

Another shelve with a distinct, 'SoCal' look. He thinks he is starting to understand the organization of the place. A surfboard is propped the shelve. It has a hole. A bunch of t-shirts I <3 Cali are thrown in a basket.

He almost jumps when he finds a pair of legs stinking out from under a coffee table. They are wearing jeans and Dc. Martens. He kicks them. Mostly gently.

They try to pull out. The legs jerk up. "Fuck, that hurts," Hange's voice curses.

They manage to extract themselves. "Oh, hi!" They greet him, grinning widely. Their hair is not attached this time, wild strands falling in their face. They blow on them to push them away. "I didn't think you'd be back so soon. I must say I am pleasantly surprised. How long has it been? Two days. Did you miss us? No, you probably need help. Couldn't have been because of my assistant's charming demean-"

"Please, shut up," Levi pleads them. They snap their mouth close. They are still sitting crossed legs on the floor They are holding what looks suspiciously like a bone. Levi frowns. "It's not what you think," they say. "It's Gabriel's. He always loses a rib."

"He's a plastic skeleton. How can he lose a damn rib?" He mutters. They stand up throw a wink over their shoulders. They don't answer. Levi follows them back to the counter. He watches them reattach Gabriel's rib. Once it's done, they hang him up again, not far from the door. He wonders if it's a way to dissuade customers from coming in. They put back the sombrero on his head.

The door opens. Eren comes in. His hair are still wet and pushed back. He's wearing shorts, a tanktop and flip flops. He's obviously back from the beach. His ocean eyes slide over Levi's face. He glares. Levi glares back. Eren huffs and disappears behind the employee door. "What's his problem, seriously?"

Hange laughs. "He doesn't like humans. Nothing personal." Again, they use human to describe Levi. It's odd.

They lean over the counter, looking at him from under their lashes. Hair cascades down their shoulders, framing their face. They brown eyes are twinkling. "So, _Detective_ ," they put their chin in their hand, "what can I do for you?"

"This is going to sound crazy," Levi warns them.  They only grin wider.  "Sounds right up my alley, then." Levi glares at them. They bat their eyelashes, going for an innocent face.

"I visited Alice Beauregard's apartment last night," he explains. "I was looking for the book. There was this guy, we fought and," he takes a breath, "he lost his head. Literally. It just fell off. And he just picked it up like it was fucking nothing, and got out with the book and his head under his arms like he wasn't supposed to be dead."

Hange laughs. They laugh, throwing their head back, holding their belly. Levi raises an eyebrow. "What's so damn funny?" He grumbles.

"It's just- you have a way of describing things that is rather," they huff, "amusing."

"Yeah, real funny."

They wipe a tear from their right eye. "Sorry, sorry," they apologize. It doesn't sound very genuine. "Seems like you do have a real problem."

"Really, I hadn't realized," Levi replies, sarcastically.

They run a hand through their hair, messing it up even more. They mumble something about sight and different planes. Levi doesn't catch half of it. "Glasses!" They exclaim suddenly. Levi blinks in confusion. They grin, proud of themselves. "I know exactly what you need," they develop. "A few months back, we had to repair a pair of special glasses. The owner never came back for them. I guess you can use them."

"I don't need glasses," Levi interrupts. "I see perfectly well."

Hange roll their eyes. "Just trust me."

They call for Eren. There's some commotion on the floor above. The sound of footsteps, then Eren steps in from the employee door. He has changed into jeans and a short sleeves shirt. He is bare feet. He doesn't seem to like shoes much, Levi notes. "You want something?" He asks.

"I need  _the_ glasses," they emphasize dramatically. Eren raises an eyebrow, his gaze sliding over to Levi. He seems to appraise him for a moment, before he nods.

He searches inside a shoe box filled with various pair of glasses. Levi hopes he won't have to use the pink-heart ones. Fortunately, Eren takes out a pair of black rectangular ones. Levi feels a bit relieved. He thrusts them toward Levi, scowling.

Levi takes them. Hange stops him with a hand on his arm. "Close your eyes, put the glasses on, but keep your eyes closed."

"Why?" He asks suspiciously.

"Do it!" They urge him, grinning.

He glances at Eren. Surprisingly, the boy gives him a small smile, tilting his head to the right toward Hange, as if to say _trust them._ Glasses can't do much harm, he supposes. He closes his eyes, slides them on his nose. He startles when a hand takes his own. "I'm just leading you outside," they say. Their hand is warm and calloused, their nails short.

He lets himself be tugged gently. He knows he has been pulled in the street. He can hear the sound of people chattering, footsteps. Hange lets go of his hand. "You can open your eyes, now."

He does.

"Welcome to the hidden side of your city, Detective," Hange says, smiling widely. "The Edge World."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i spend far too much time researching for these chapter titles
> 
> ALSO PLEASE CHECK OUT [THIS AMAZING ART](http://levis-teacup-handle.tumblr.com/post/150209720282/my-snkminibang-artwork-for-elyteracy-s-fic) by levis-teacup-handle
> 
> they are amazing


	3. Illegally Blond

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> these chapter titles are getting out of hand, i do hope you enjoy them tho
> 
> i was thinking about tangled while writing this, you may see some reference (ahah who am i kidding you can't miss the ref)
> 
> enjoy!

Opening his eyes, he discovers the city as he has never seen it before. It looks the same and yet so different. It feels like someone came into his place and moved everything two inches to the left.

A tall woman walks hurriedly in front of him. She is dressed like any business woman, except for the fact that her skin is a soft green and her hair is a mass of what looks like green vines. Her eyes are two bright emerald gems, devoid of pupils. It makes Levi feels very uncomfortable. "Fairy," Hange whispers in his ear. "They can't tell lies, but they are the expert at not saying the truth anyway."

"If you get in trouble with the law, hire a fairy lawyer," Eren chimes in. "They are the best."

"I am the law," Levi reminds him, kind of dazed. Eren laughs. "No, you are currently not, Detective," he sneers. Levi can't say anything because he is annoyingly right. It definitely doesn't reassure him.

He watches as  very short man with a long beard expertly braided walks purposefully toward a train station. He's talking on the phone about Japanese being fierce competition. "Dwarves, they moved on from metallurgy to robotics," Hange supplies. "For the most part. More work available."

It is a strange sight to see the usual bustling and swarming streets of the city filled with creatures he didn't know existed until a few minutes ago. Even the most ordinary places, like the hot dog joint at the corner of the street, take a drastic look toward loony town. The queue, filled with various sentient species, is served by what looks like a talking tree. Levi never had a problem with plants before, but considering the size of some and the dangerousness of others, he does not like the possibility of them sprouting legs and wandering around the streets.

In the middle of pigeons, small stone-looking creatures are lunging toward any scrap of food. "Gargoyles," Hange informs him when they notice his gaze.

A gorgeous man with entirely white hair despite his apparent young age crashes into him. He looks up from his phone, scowling. "Why are you in the middle of the road?" He snarls. "Get the hell out of my way." Levi frowns when he spots the row of sharp looking teeth. Hange steps between them.

"Why don't you watch where you are going instead?" They say. They smile but it is cold and predatory.

The man looks them up and down, his silver eyes hard and cold. "Witch," he hisses. His gaze slides over Eren, standing next to Hange, his arms crossed. "Fine." He pockets his phone and continues on his way. Hange sends him an apologetic smile. "Elves, you better not anger one," they warm him. "They are a mean species."

Eren shrugs. "The Fair Folk isn't better." He seems to remember that Levi has no fucking idea what he is talking about, and he clarifies: "The fairies, same thing."

"I can't," Levi breathes. He can feel the telltale signs of panic. His heart is pounding in his chest. His breath is hard to catch. "This is..." He swears in Korean. He feels so lost and shaken, he switches back to his native language. "Crazy. Impossible. Unbelievable, whatever the fuck you want to call it." He takes off the glasses. Instantly, the world looks a bit duller. He doesn't like it and it pisses him off. He's lived all his life in the normal world.

He walks back to his bike. Hange trails after him, bouncing. "Where are you going?" They ask.

"Drinking," he mutters. "I am going to forget _this_ ," he thrusts his hand toward the street. He climbs on his bike, determined to just go away and probably never come back to this side of the city. Ignoring your problems can go a long way on the path to deal with them. Sometimes.

Two hands on his handlebars stop him. Eren is staring at him, his two ocean eyes wide and full of determination, almost too big for his face. "You cannot do that," he declares. "People are dying."

"It's a bit out of my jurisdiction," Levi snarls. "All this fantasy stuff is not for me. I like my life normal and full of actual human beings."

Eren tilts his head to the side. "Then, why did you become a detective?" He asks but doesn't wait for an answer. "Your life is nothing but normal, and it is more often than not filled with corpses."

They glower at each other. Levi kind of wants to punch the kid in the face because he is _fucking_ right. He grits his teeth. "I'll do the job," he growls.

Hange cheers, grinning. "Yes! Now, we can talk payment." He raises an eyebrow, confused. They tap their own round brown glasses. "For these."

"What do you want?"

"To be part of the investigation, of course!" They exclaim. Levi almost chokes on his own saliva. He glances at Eren. He is purposefully not looking at Levi.

"Absolutely not," he refuses.

Hange throws an arm around his shoulders. "Come on, don't be like that Detective, you could use the help." Levi uses his hand to push their face away. "Personal space" he grumbles. He tries very hard to ignore the fact that they are definitely taller than him. Their bespectacled gaze is close, their curious eyes on him.

"Just accept the fucking help," Eren mutters. "You can't do it alone." He is probably right, Levi knows. Doesn't mean he can't be bitter about it.

"I need time to think about it."

Hange walks in front of him, twirling around. They have a spring in their steps. "Let us pay you a meal and introduce you to the Edge World. I'll even throw in some alcohol if you want," they bait him, grinning.

"You sold me at 'alcohol'," he admits. He lets a small smile curves his lips. These two may be odd and surprising, but he's strangely starting to become somewhat fond of them. They are unpredictable, he thinks. It makes them interesting.

They smirk. "I've got exactly the place, then."

___

 _The Hole in the Wall_ is an establishment with a certain flair. Clean, with a color pattern of burgundy and white, it makes Levi feel quite at ease. It belongs to three sisters, Sina, Maria and Rose. One of Hange's best friend is the bartender. He is a tall blond hairy man, with scarce words. Mike, Levi recalls.

The only downside would be the distressing amount of non-humans among the customers. He is tempted to take his glasses off, to forget for a moment that the world he knows seems to be an unamusing farce. He doesn't because there's something fascinating about it. Like a car crash: it's terrible but you can't take your eyes away.

They settle in a booth at the back of the room. They are close to the pianist. She is lazily playing soft jazz. Levi sinks in the cushion and takes the drinks menu. He is determined to drink himself under the table.

Eren has his nose in the menu. His gaze drifts to Hange. They are staring at him, wide-eyed, expectant. He purposefully doesn't acknowledge them, dropping his eyes back to the whiskey available. They kick him under the table. "Don't do that," he hisses.

They flutter their eyelashes. "I don't know what you are talking about," they deny. Levi kicks them back as revenge. "Ow!" They exclaim, grimacing. "Rude."

"You started it!"

Eren groans and ducks further behind the card, careful to hide his face. Levi can't really blame him. He sighs. "What do you want?"

They clap their hands together. "We have so much to talk about. Don't you want to know how your glasses work? It is very important to your safety," they add, as an afterthought.

"Go on then," Levi prompts them, staring at the menu, trying to decide what he wants to eat.

Hange pulls a notebook and a pen out of one of the pockets of their atrocious yellow raincoat. They turn the pages until they find a blank. "Have you ever drawn digitally, Detective?"

"Call me Levi," he says. "And no. But I know the basics. A friend of mine works as a designer."

"Great, it'll be easier to explain." They look pleased. "The universe is divided into planes. You can see each plane as a layer on a digital drawing. Humans live on the First Plane, Reality. Most preternatural creatures live on the Second Plane, the Edge World."

"Why the... Edge World?" He asks, curious.

Hange smirks. Eren finally comes back from behind his menu, smiling dangerously. "Because we are the creatures you see from the corner of your eyes," he drawls. "The ones you think you dreamt, because when you look back it was nothing but a tree, a lamppost. We are the shadows at the edge of your vision."

"Fine, I get it. No need for all your.. voodoo stuff."

Hange laughs behind their hand. A strand of hair falls in their face. They tug it back behind their ear. "It's no voodoo. It's the actual explanation."

"Right," he mutters under his breath. He can't help but think about all the time he'd thought he'd seen something, late in the night. Hange smiles like they know exactly what's in his head. "Just... continue your explanation."

"Third Plane," Hange carries on," is the Spirit World. Spirits have usually no corporal forms. Some can interact with the rest of the world on occasion. The most powerful can be dangerous. They hardly concern themselves with humans, though."

"Moving on to Fourth Plane, commonly called the Imagination. The creatures from the Fourth Plane are very powerful. They are usually summoned by collective strong feelings. Wishes, anger, regret. Overall, you don't want to meet one. Inhabitants of the Imagination are Elementals, Night terrors, the Bogeyman, things born from various beliefs, etc."

"The other dimensionFifth plane is the Lost Places. To simplify, it's a sort of a fog that protects our world. another dimension, other realities get stuck here. It's-" They pause, thoughtful. "A prison," they finish.

"We throw criminals in the Lost Places," Eren explains. "Not everyone. The most dangerous. The ones who don't know nothing, have no information. It makes you forget."

"I see," he says. He wonders what they become once they are thrown in.

He needs more alcohol. He downs his beer in three big gulps. Hange sends him an appreciative glance, laughter tugging at the corner of their mouth. He points to the last circle of Hange's basic drawing. "This one, the sixth, what is it?"

Hange purses their lips. Levi thinks it's the first time he's seen them with something other than a smile or a pensive look on their face. "We call it the Void. We actually have no idea what it is." They clearly don't like it. There's curiosity in their eyes, something akin to hunger.

Levi wrinkles his nose. "Well, I am clearly not drunk enough for this conversation," he declares. "And you promised me alcohol."

Hange laughs. He really does prefer when they do. It softens their sharp gaze. They always seem to know too much and not enough at the same time. "Sure did, Detective." They raise their hand, calling Mike. "A mojito for me, a screwdriver for the scary man on my right, and for the young man on my left..." They look at Eren expectantly.

"A Long Island, please."

Levi thinks reluctantly that he's starting to like them. Both of them.

___

"Where are we going, again?" Levi asks. He's groggy, his head is pounding. He feels like something has crawled in his throat and died there. He only half regrets his decision to drink as much as he did last night. At least, while he is busy lamenting on his poor decision skills, he doesn't have to acknowledge the various non-human species walking alongside him in the street. It helps him forget how fucked up things are right now.

"The one person who may know who our mysterious headless thief is," Eren says.

"How hard can it be to find someone missing his fucking head," Levi grumbles, displeased.

"Harder than you'd think," Hange jumps in. "There are numbers of species who can alter their appearance through glamor, without counting all the ones who can actually lose their head with minor damage and-"

"Please shut up," Levi begs. They grin, unapologetic.

They stop in front of a small bookstore. Nothing discerns it from the other one two streets down. Eren steps inside without hesitation. Levi and Hange follow behind him.

The boy smiles when he sees the owner. It is soft and fond. "Hey, Armin," he greets him.

The name makes him look twice at the shop owner. He wouldn't mistake this youthful face, blond hair, and innocent blue eyes anywhere. "Armin Arlert."

Cold cobalt eyes turn toward him. Levi resists the urge to shiver. "Detective Ackerman," he acknowledges. He doesn't look one bit surprised. Levi hates it. "What a pleasure to meet you again," he says, voice falsely friendly. He blinks, his large eyes innocent. Levi isn't duped. A sly smile curls Armin's lips, _knowing._

"You two know each other?" Hange exclaims, clapping their hands. They seem oblivious to the sudden tension in the room.

"We are acquaintances," Armin says, smiling politely.

Levi snorts. "Yeah, that's an interesting way of describing being suspected of theft and getting arrested for tax evasions twice."

Armin laughs. It sounds angelic. The gleam in his eyes is anything but. "Never convicted, though," he points out. He smiles sharply. "We haven't seen each other in a while. The glasses are a new addition?"

"It's from my shop," Hange says. "We are helping Levi investigate a series of absolutely thrilling death. We are here to ask for information, by the way," she adds as an afterthought.

"I see. What would you like to know?"

"Yesterday night," Levi says," I went to an apartment owned by one of the victims. Her name is Alice Beauregard. I wasn't the only one there. I fought with a... creature. It lost his head. I'm quite sure it was male. It took a book about cinema. _DIY: How to create your own black and white movie star."_

Armin makes a thoughtful sound. He spins a pen around his fingers leaning on the counter. "I may know who it is," he claims, "but what's in it for me?"

"I can pay!" Hange

Armin shakes his head. "I want something from _him_ ," he emphasizes, staring right at Levi. He looks around. Hange is pouting, their arms crossed. Eren is smirking, clearly amused by the exchange.

Levi levels him with his gaze. "You are an information broker, what do you want to know?"

Armin chuckles. "I don't need information." He drums his fingers against the desk, leaning back in his chair. "A criminal record is bad for business, you know," he mentions.

"A clean record, that's what you want?" He rubs the bridge of his nose. "If you provide any information we need for this affair, I'll wipe it clean myself at the end of it."

"I believe we have a deal." Armin stands up, offering his hand. Levi shakes it. It is small and thin, but the handshake is firm. "There's this bounty hunter. His name is Jean Kirschstein and his particularity: he's half-dullahan."

"Amazing!" Hange exclaims. "That is so rare, a perfect balance between his human side and his dullahan side! A creature from the Fourth Plane!" They squeal in excitement. "It is an almost unprecedented case. I need to study him."

Armin laughs. "I already pity this poor guy," he teases. "You'll find him tonight and every other Friday night at a nightclub downtown called Sea No Evil."

"Why do non-humans seem to have a ridiculous love for stupid puns?" Levi grumbles, exasperated. He pockets the paper Armin hands him, the address of the nightclub written on it.

"Here is a picture of your man," the blond adds.

Jean Kirschstein looks like a jerk, in Levi's opinion. He has a long face with a strong jaw and a straight nose. His eyes are a light brown, his hair dirty blond. It is cut short on the sides and longer on the top. Jerk haircut.

Levi prepares himself to leave. Armin calls him. "Hey, don't be too hard on him, once you've found him."

"I have trouble believing that Armin Arlert, famous underground information broker, told me to be nice," he sneers.

The blond laughs. "Surprising, isn't it?" He grins. He turns toward Eren, snatching his hand. "I'll see you later."

Eren smiles and nods. Levi doesn't even want to know how these two met.  
____

Eren Jaeger would like to emphasize that he did not consent to being dragged to a nightclub by his boss and a human. Also, shoes are the bane of his existence.

A dryad jostles him. He doesn't have the patience to ignore it and bares his teeth at her. She recoils instantly. "You won't go faster by pushing me," he hisses. She hides behind her friend, whispering urgently in her ears. Eren turns around, not interested in what they could say about him.

Hange is almost bouncing on their feet, clearly looking forward to the nightclub. Eren doesn't understand their excitement. Levi doesn't seem comfortable either. His gaze darts from creature to creature. His lips are pursed in a thin line.

A whisper travels along the crowd. Eren looks around, trying to understand what's happening. He spots a pretty woman dressed in a tight red dress walking toward the entrance. Her gaze falls on their group. Hange straighten their back. Eren watches with faint interest as Levi takes place to their left side, arms crossed over his chest.

"What is a witch doing at my nightclub?" She drawls, her plump lips pulled in a sneer.

Hange smirks. "What's the matter? Are you scared I'll do something to your nightclub, siren?"

They stare at each other. Eren comes behind Hange, preparing himself to fight. The siren just laughs, high-pitched and a bit maleficent, in his opinion. "I'm Hitch, the owner of Sea No Evil." She gestures toward the nightclub, behind her. Eren understands the name better now. It doesn't mean he finds it funnier, though. "I would be delighted to have you, as long as you behave."

"We'll be exemplary, Miss," Hange assures, with a challenging grin.

Hitch's gaze slides appreciatively over Eren and Levi. "I'm sure you will," she says. She turns around, facing the bouncer. "Let these three in."

They let themselves be guided inside by a troll. Hange bends over to whisper it in Levi's ear.

Stepping in is like being propelled in a totally different universe. The heat is stifling and heavy, filled with the scent of sweat, alcohol, and perfume. The room is dim, and the light spots all around the ceiling are just enough to see the face of the person in front of you. Eren supposes it's easier to make out with someone when you can see where their lips are.

The music is loud, so loud he can feel the vibrations of the floor. He can feel it in his fingers, in his blood, in his _bones_. It fills his ears until he can't hear anything but the deep incessant beat of the song until he can almost taste the notes on his tongue.

A hand on his wrist snaps him out of it. Hange is looking at him with concerned eyes. "Are you okay? We can leave if you are not feeling good. We'll find another way."

"No!" He refuses. "I can do it. I'm fine."

Levi is looking at him with a frown. Eren sends him a defiant look, waiting for him to speak. He doesn't and Eren feels like he has won this round.

They wander around for twenty minutes without finding their target. Eventually, Levi spots him at the back of the room, in one of the sofas, surrounding by girls in tantalizing outfits. Eren sneers. Of course, their thief would be a disgusting flirt.

"We need someone to seduce him," Hange declares from behind him, pointing to their target, Jean Kirschstein. Eren already feels annoyed at the sight of him, even though they've never met.

He can feel Hange and Levi's gaze resting heavily on him. "No," he refuses. He knows what they are going to ask.

"You just have to get him in a quiet dark corner so that we can... retrieve him," Levi tries to convince him.

"You mean kidnap him."

"Temporarily remove him of his freedom of circulation," Hange precise. Levi nods, next to them, as if what they said even made sense. Eren doesn't like how well they seem to understand one another. They've only known each other for more than two days.

"I want a raise."

"Ten percent more next month."

"Deal."

"Just get him in a secluded space. We'll take care of the rest," Levi tells him. Eren may not like him, but he can appreciate his efficiency. It's reassuring.

Hange claps their hand on his shoulders. "You can do it, Eren."

He nods, curt. He will do it. He never does things halfway. He accepted this job. Now, he has to keep to his words. He takes a deep breath, his gaze already set on his goal. Jean has an arm thrown around a girl in a very short black dress. It does not help his already half-formed judgment.

He takes one step. The first one is always the hardest. The others are easier and he can feel himself standing straighter, his breath coming deeper. The music is slower, almost cradling him in his softness. It feels like water over his skin, washing in his veins, pouring in his ears. Confidence fills him.

Jean raises his head, catching his eyes. They seem almost gold in the darkness. He raises an eyebrow, clearly interested. Eren smirks. There is something incredibly rewarding about catching the eye of someone. Being wanted can be addictive.

He slides next to Jean, in the space formed by one of the pretty girls leaving. His thigh is pressed against Jean's. Contact is not as comfortable. The man slides an arm around his shoulders. Eren makes a conscious effort not to tense. Jean leans toward him, his lips brushing his ears.

"So, what's your name?" Eren places a hand on his thigh, keeping himself from tipping forward. He tries to smile, but it comes a bit forced. Jean's eyebrows are a bit furrowed as he sees that. "Don't be nervous, I don't bite," he says. He smirks, and Eren can feel the stupidity of the next remark in his eyes. "Except if you want me, too."

He groans. He's never been a good liar. Fortunately, Jean only laughs. "Come on, the joke wasn't that bad."

"Yes," Eren deadpans. "It really was."

"Oh good, I was starting to think you couldn't talk." Jean smiles, a bit more genuine than earlier. It makes him look like less of an asshole, in Eren's opinion. "I'm Jean, by the way. Are you going to tell me your name?"

"I will," Eren promises, almost murmuring the words into Jean's ear. "If we get out of here. I'm not... very comfortable in crowds." He bites his lips, feeling self-conscious. He knows Levi and Hange are watching.

Jean looks very pleased and Eren has the urge to smack him. He contains it through great effort. Jean stands up, and Eren takes his hand. The skin is not as smooth as he expected but covered in tiny scars. He doesn't dwell on it and leads Jean to the back door.

He opens it, pulling Jean outside. He is careful to keep Jean's back to the door. The bastard is taller than him. Eren very much wants to kick him and wipe this smirk from his mouth.

"Eren," he says instead. Jean looks confused. "My name, it's Eren."

He gets a smile for this answer which quickly turns into an obnoxious grin. "So, Eren," Jean drawls, "did you bring me here with specific intentions?"

A laugh bubbles out of his lips. He doesn't bother to hide it as he sees the door slowly opens. "Yes, I did," he confirms, grinning, sharp and confident.

Jean looks positively stricken for an instant. Levi raises his hands. Hange peeks her head outside. "Good night," says Eren. Jean frowns. Levi strikes. The hit makes an echoing sound. Jean collapses on the floor in two parts. His head bumps against his shoe. He picks it up. "What did you hit him with?"

"A pan," Levi answers.

"How did you even get one in a nightclub?" Levi shrugs and points at Hange as they squeal over the black circle where Jean's head should be attached. "They gave it to me. I have no idea where it comes from."

Eren knows how peculiar and surprising they can be and decides to not question it. He looks over at Levi. He's watching Hange with an almost fond look. "We make a good team," he says, to break the silence.

Levi smiles. It is small but sincere. He claps Eren on the shoulder. "You did a good job, kid."

Eren almost doesn't mind being called a kid.


	4. F(l)ight Club

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jean ponders on all the bad decisions he made in his life. The gang still chases after the book.

****Jean wakes up with the familiar uncomfortable feeling of having his head separated from the rest of his body. He doesn't really know how to explain it. Describing it as a crick in your neck and a slight hangover should be quite accurate. He doesn't open his eyes because he is sitting (well, his body is) and he never falls asleep sitting. Except when he's trying to finish a report at 3am and falls asleep on his laptop. Which isn't the case here since he can't hear his roommate and best friend (Ymir) singing hard rock in the kitchen. Also, his head is propped against something which is surprising because when he loses it in his sleep, it usually just stays there.

He tries to move his hands. The movement causes a jiggling sound: handcuffs. "We know you are awake," he hears. The voice is male, sharp and cold. Anxiety fills him. In what mess did he manage to get himself into this time?

Oh right, he was at the club yesterday and got tricked and apparently kidnapped by this guy. Aaron? He's not entirely sure what his name was.

Standing in front of him are two people, their arms crossed. A short man with thin gray eyes and jetblack hair. East-Asian, probably. The other one is of indeterminate gender, with a crazy smile, big round glasses and a yellow raincoat. He's just going to assume he's been kidnapped by the yakuza. Nothing can be worse and with how bad his karma is, he wouldn't even be surprised.

The man slams his hands on the table in front of him. Jean startles. Panic twists in is stomach. He makes a quick list of everything he's done in the past weeks that could have angered these people. He comes up with a surprisingly long one. His life really is a mess. It's been a mess for quite a long time, but college has made it infinitely worse.

The man beckons someone to come closer. A young man comes out of the shadows. It is Aaron (or whatever his name is). He is still painfully beautiful, with dark amber skin, bright ocean eyes, sharp jaw and broad shoulders. The dim light brushes his face, giving his cheekbones a warm ochre glow. Jean can hear Ymir's voice in his head, saying: _You really need to get you shit together, pretty boy_. Being attracted to the person who kidnapped you is  _not_ having your shit together.

The problem is: his shit hasn't been together since he fucking literally lost his head at thirteen. For some, puberty is discovering new hair on weird parts of your body, well for him it was discovering being beheaded was not a death sentence in his case. 'Seeing your body change' takes a whole new meaning after that.

He should really have listened to this old psychic when she advised him to buy a lucky charm. Also, stop using his few powers to perform odd illegal jobs. It's probably why he's currently sitting at this table, tied down, with a very scary Asian man staring down at him. (Or just his head, Jean's quite sure if he were standing he'd be taller, even without his head.) He just wanted to have enough to buy a new phone, for fuck's sake.

"Listen, kid," the man says, "we just need a few information."

Jean would probably say "Whatever you want, I value my life" in any other situation where his head is not separated from his body. Having your vocal cords cut in half doesn't help for talking. Also, no air, no sound. Why physic still applies on a body who is really not bound by other simple rules of science such as 'no head, very dead' is another problem altogether. He tries mouthing 'anything'. It gets ignored.

The man holds the image of a book in front of his eyes. It's the one he stole the other night. He frowns. Now that he thinks about it, the man did look familiar.

"We know you stole this book from Alice Beauregard's flat. Where is it now?" The man opens his jacket a bit, revealing his gun. Jean's breath picks up and he tries to keep his panic to a minimum. "And you better not lie, because I  _will_ know it."

He needs to find a way to communicate right now. Maybe if he blinks? He tries it. The man just raises an eyebrow. "Not very talkative, I see."

His colleague (Coworker? Partner in crime? This one is just too close to reality)  pulls out a pair of plastic gloves, grinning widely. Jean thinks he's going to puke. This it it, the day he dies. He sends a panicked look to Aaron trying to connect with the maybe only sane person in this room.

That's when the man stops them with a hand on their arm. "Wait, Hange," he says, "he hasn't said a word from the beginning but... He opened his mouth as if to say something, right?"

Hange glances at him. They blink and suddenly they gasp. "He can't talk! That's why!"

The relief he feels could seriously make him cry. He mouths 'yes'. Hange beams at him. He really doesn't know how to react. "This is so interesting!" They gush, inspecting his head from far too close.

"Maybe if you just put his head back he could tell you more?" Aaron reasons. (He's almost certain his name isn't Aaron.) Jean glares at the guy because he's still furious he got tricked by a pretty face, but he's thankful for his comment.

Hange picks up his head. They are surprisingly gentle. Carefully, they put it back on his neck. Jean grimaces as it starts itching. He can hear gasps in the background. He bites his lips to prevent himself from making any pained sound.

"This is amazing," Hange marvels. The yakuza puts a hand on their shoulders. He sits in front of Jean, his gray eyes hard and cold.

"Jean Kirschstein, right?"

"How-" He coughs. His throat is scratchy and he sounds like he's cried the entire night. Which could actually happen, just not this time. "How do you know my name?"

The man waves his hand dismissively. "Doesn't matter," he says. Jean wants to argue that _yes_ it does very much matter but he likes being alive. "You stole a book the other night: _DIY: Create your own black and white movie star_. I want to know who asked you to steal it, where it is now, and who has it."

"Why do you want to know?" He asks before he can stop himself.

That's when Aaron walks to the table, looking pissed. "We want to know because we are almost certain people died for this book!" He hisses. "So you better answer. Right. Fucking. Now."

And, mark him down as scared and horny. As if he wasn't at the bottom of society already. Also, murder? That sounds terrible and he doesn't know what to do with this information. "I don't really know what they look like. Small and slender. Brown skin. Can't really tell you the gender. They called me on my phone, don't know how they got my number by the way," he shrugs. (He should be a bit more concerned about people knowing his name and phone number. Probably.) "Told me where I could find it."

"Wasn't there somewhere you met?" The yakuza asks.

Jean nods. "They paid half the price at the train station. They had a hood, couldn't tell you what they look like more than what I already told you. But I brought the book to their place."

The yakuza smirks. Jean winces. He can feel the bad news coming. "Great, that means you'll be able to lead us there."

Goddammit, he fucking knew it.

___

Levi wrinkles his nose at the state of the building. Jean, after being thoroughly convinced (read: forced) to lead them to where his employer lives, had brought them here. It is a dirty old thing, with a suspicious smell. He wonders how it is even still standing. It must have been white one day.

The building door is locked. Hange throws an arm around Jean's shoulders. "I hope your remember the name of your employer, at least," they say. It is too cheerful to sound genuine. The kid picks up on it, his face going white. Eren snorts behind them, his arms crossed.

"Yes, I do." He pushes on a button. Levi reads  _Cameron Waters._

 _"What?"_ A voice hisses through the intercom. Levi raises an eyebrow. They don't sound very friendly.

"Hi! We are from the Eco-Wise Pest Service! One of your neighbors have called us, but they seemed to be absent. Would you mind opening the door for us?" Hange jumps in.

Levi sends them an appraising look. They wink, grinning. He must say, they impressed him this time.

" _Fine."_

_Bzzzz._

Eren pushes the door open. Jean follows, grumbling. Levi catches something about bad life choices. He couldn't agree more with him.

They go to the elevator. A panel "Out of order" stops them. Jean groans. Eren calls him a lazy thief. They start bickering until Levi glares at them. Jean practically whimpers and hides behind Eren. He smirks, satisfied.

They climb the stairs. Jean points at the third door of the corridor. Eren strides toward the door, ready to kick it down. Jean throws himself at Eren to stop him from doing something very stupid.

"Dude, you can't just barge in someone's home like that!" He exclaims. Eren sends him a defiant look, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"It's important. What's the matter?"

Jean sighs dramatically. "Just- Don't."

Levi decides it is time it takes care of the situation. He pushes them aside and fishes his Police I.D from inside his pocket. Jean's eyes widen.

"You are a cop?" He gasps. He looks around as if trying to look for an escape, muttering in French under his breath. Levi doesn't miss the flurry of swears thrown in.

Levi cocks an eyebrow at him. "Parle correctement," he orders him. "Also, you thrust this shit upon yourself. Next time, choose a legal job. You'll have less problems."

Hange cackles and thumps Jean on his back. Not expecting it, he almost falls over. Eren tries very hard to hide his laugh behind his hand. He isn't very successful. Jean slowly turns red.

He shakes his head and signs for them to all shut up. He knocks on the door. No one answers. He knocks again. Finally, he can hear footsteps on the other side.

"What do you want?" A hooded figure addresses them.

Levi almost shoves his badge in their face. "Police Department. We need to ask you questions. We are also looking for a book."

"I don't know nothing about no book," they mumble. "Go away."

"This book may be the cause of three murders," Levi barks. "How can you refuse to answer?"

"Like this."

They close the door in his face. There is a moment of stillness. Hange snickers. "That was just priceless." Levi glares at them. It only makes them laugh harder.

Levi turns away from the door and makes his way down the stairs. Eren catches up with him. "What do we do, then?"

"I can't do anything. You have the right to refuse to answer questions. I can't enter without a warrant."

Eren frowns. "Isn't there another way to get inside?"

Levi thrusts his thumb at Jean behind them. "Why don't you ask your friend?" Eren makes an offended noise, glowering at Jean. "He's not my friend."

They reach outside. The sky is gray and it is raining. Levi makes a face and for once, envies Hange and their ugly yellow raincoat.

"I call bullshit!" Jean shouts, throwing his hand in the air. "I've done my fucking job, I'm back hoooooo-"

Jean falls to the floor, screaming. Something has snagged his ankle. He tries desperately to grab purchase on the road as he gets pulled toward the dark narrow alley the creature comes from.

Eren jumps after him. He throws himself at Jean. Grabs his wrist. "DON'T LET ME GO!" Jean shouts, panicked.

"I WON'T, IDIOT!" Eren yells.

Levi snatches his gun. He charges. Aims.

 _Shlack._ Hange cuts the tentacle with a butcher knife. It slumps on the floor. Twitching, squirming.

Eren tumbles back. Jean collapses over him. They both grunt.

Another tentacle reaches for them. Levi shoots at it. Once. Twice. It recoils with a gurgling sound. Levi chases after the thing. It slithers behind a corner leaving a silvery trail behind itself. When Levi reaches the end of the street, it has disappeared.

"Get off me!" Eren barks at Jean. He throws him aside. Levi cocks an eyebrow. The kid is surprisingly strong. Jean slaps him on the arm. "Dude, you could have been gentle!"

"I saved your sorry ass, I don't owe you nothing."

"Where the hell did you get this knife, Hange?" Levi cuts them off before it degenerates.

They blink. "Ikea." Levi takes a deep breath, forcing himself to stay calm. He sends them a deadpan stare. "My coat," they answer, grinning.

"What else do you have in your coat?"

They wiggle their eyebrows. "Wouldn't you like to know?" They taunt.

Jean and Eren make gagging sounds, for once agreeing with each other. "Please, never do that again, Hange," Eren pleads. Jean nods eagerly from his place on the ground.

Hange waves them off dismissively, their attention already diverted by the silvery trail left by the monster. They open their raincoat, rummaging through it until they pull out test tube and some Q-Tip. They collect some of the shiny substance. Their eyes are practically glowing in excitement.

Levi decides to ignore them and kneels next to Jean. "How's your leg?"

He pulls up his jeans. His skin displays a dark red circle all around his ankle. Levi pokes at it and Jean winces. Hange joins them, looking at the wound over his shoulders. "It'll leave an ugly bruise, but it doesn't look too bad," they comment.

Levi stands up. "Can you walk?"

Jean takes a shaky step, grimacing. "It's not comfortable but yeah, I can."

"Good, Eren can help you."

The boy makes a face, but doesn't complain. He stands next to Jean, an arm around his waist. Jean places a hand on his shoulders, using Eren as a crutch.

"Let's get you back to my shop," Hange says, smiling. "I've got supplies there."

___

Over the shop, on the second floor, is Hange's apartment. The place is a mess. It makes Levi's hands twitch with the want to clean. Even then, the hazardous piles of books, the sofa covered with pillows, the various mugs strewn around the room give it a lived-in and cozy feeling. Despite himself, Levi likes it. It suits Hange, he thinks. Their brain is like that, messy but filled with so much knowledge. They are warm and unpredictable. It fits.

Eren and Jean collapse on the couch. Eren complains about Jean being heavy and his shoulder hurting. Jean reminds him that he wouldn't even be here if Eren hadn't participated in kidnapping him. Eren slumps deeper in the sofa, pouting.

Levi tunes them out. He watches Hange go around the room, collecting mugs. "Who wants something warm to drink?" Eren and Jean stop bickering to nod. "Tea, hot chocolate or coffee?"

"I'll take tea," Levi says. "Jasmin?"

Hange smiles. "I got that. Eren, Jean?"

"Coffee for me," Jean says.

"Hot chocolate."

Levi follows them to the kitchen. He closes the door behind him. Hange puts the mug in the sink then turns around.

"Here for some steamy action or what?" They joke, glancing at the coffee machine.

"No," Levi deadpans. He does not have the time to play their game. "What was this thing?"

Hange's gaze turns dark. "I don't know," they say.

Anger rises inside him. "What do you mean you don't know?" He asks. "You are the one who dragged me in this fucking mess and you don't know?"

Hange straightens up. They look down at Levi. "I am not the one who dragged you in this mess," they countered, voice tight. "You choose by yourself. You are the one who came back."

Levi wants to punch something. His fingers dig in the palm of his hand. "What was I supposed to do when I saw a guy lose his fucking head?"

Hange takes a step toward him. They grin, sharp, cunning. "I never did tell you how humans work, didn't I?" They muse. They take one more step. Levi finds himself cornered against the wall. His heart is beating fast. "It is simple. Humans are immune to magic. That's why Edgers hate you. And yet, you can't see past glamor. Do you wanna why? Your brain."

They encase Levi with their arms. Levi's hand instinctively grips his gun. His breath comes fast and short. He feels trapped. "The brain is a beautiful thing," they drawl. "It protects you. From us. From creatures that could kill you," they snap their fingers, Levi startles, "in a split second."

"You have to make a conscious choice. These glasses, they only serve to see through glamor. They trick your brain."

"Do you get it, Levi?" They whisper. He doesn't want to hear them. He knows. He knows where they are going. "You chose this," they reveal, impervious to his own feelings. "You chose it, and you came back."

He pushes them away. They stumble back, almost falling. They are still smiling.

"You don't know anything," he throws back. The reply is a desperate attempt to convince himself.

"Don't I, Levi?" They ask. "Or are you just lying to yourself?"

He glowers at them and stomps out of the room. He slams the door behind him. He barely registers Jean and Eren on the sofa. He ignores them and stalks out of the apartment.

The air is fresh. He takes a deep breath. He digs inside his pocket and fishes out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter.

He doesn't smoke often but _god_ he needs it now.

The first inhale feels like salvation.

___

Jean watches Levi follow Hange in the kitchen. Eren stands up. He glances at Jean for a second, makes a pensive look, then disappears somewhere in the apartment. Jean raises an eyebrow at his retreating back.

He comes back with a first aid kit and a tube of cream. He sits on the sofa. Jean sends him a distrust look. "What's that? Is it poison?"

"Just gimme your leg," Eren grumbles, rolling his eyes.

Jean flops his leg in his lap. Eren takes off his shoes and pushes his jeans off.  Jean feels himself blush and curses internally his too-white skin. He looks down at his hands, trying to hide the telltale of his embarrassment.

Eren massages cream on Jean's ankle. He flinches a bit when Eren presses his thumb against the bruise. The pain is minimum, though, and he doesn't complain. Eren is silent as he bandages Jean's ankle. He is surprisingly gentle and Jean doesn't know what to do. Eren is soft and caring right now, but he has been harsh and angry before.

Jean's heart has trouble following. It still skips a beat when Eren smiles once he's done tying the bandage, all proud.

He jumps as Levi slams the kitchen door open. He barely acknowledges them and walks out of the apartment. "What's his deal?" He complains.

Eren shrugs. "Don't know, don't care." He stands up, packs up the first-aid kit. His steps are almost noiseless. Jean wonders how he can go bare feet when the weather is not exactly warm anymore.

"Will you help us finish the investigation?" Eren asks, once he's back. He stayed standing and Jean has to look up to see his expression. Determination, impatience.

He remembers a night, two years ago, waiting from the train in the empty station, Ymir saying:  _You and I, pretty boy, are made of the same stuff. We are both cowards._

"No," he says. He means it.

"You are so selfish," Eren spits. His eyebrows are frowned, his eyes are dark, more green than blue at this point. "I thought, maybe- maybe you weren't so bad."

"Sorry to disappoint," he quips. "I'll keep it in mind the next time my life is threatened by an unknown creature with tentacles."

Eren lets out a strangled cry. "God, you piss me off so much."

Jean stands up. His ankle almost buckles under him. Eren whips out a hand to steady him. Jean doesn't need it in the end but stares at the offered arm. "Why did you help?"

Eren scowls, confused. "When?"

"You could have left me back there. You didn't have to bandage me. You don't owe me anything. You hate me."

Eren sighs. His shoulders relax a little. "I don't hate you. You are just," he pauses looking for the right word, "infuriating."

He sits back on the couch, curling up on himself. His jeans pull up a little. Jean can see the beginning of a tattoo around his right ankle. Waves curling on inserted triangles. Eren looks younger now. "I won't let anyone else die."  _Else_ , Jean notes and he makes a conscious effort not to ask.  "Also, when you aren't being a jerk, you ain't too bad."

Jean snorts. "Yeah, I can feel the love." He sits next to Eren. "You know, most people dream of a life full of adventures. I didn't. I just wanted a peaceful life. Go to college, find a nice someone to settle down with, have a couple kids, maybe adopt them, die in my sleep." He twists his hands, digging his thumb into his palm. "Instead, one morning I woke up and my head was on the floor."

Eren laughs, before stopping himself, grimacing. "Sorry," he apologizes.

"No, no," Jean shakes his head, "it's fine. I suppose it is funny." He sends a small smile to Eren. "The point is I'm not like you. I just wanted to buy a new phone to be able to call my mom once a week, like usual. I can't throw myself at danger like this."

Eren bites his lips. "You don't have to fight," he mumbles. "It's just- We need you. You could just..." He trails off, picking at the hem of his t-shirt, sheepish.

Jean laughs. "You aren't good at compromise, are you?" Eren glares at him. Jean runs a hand through his hair. "I'll help. I guess I'll just... run away when things get too bad?"

Eren beams at him. Jean's stomach drops and his heart is in his throat. "You do that," Eren jokes.

Jean is quite sure he could do about anything to see this smile again.

___

When Levi comes back inside, feeling much calmer, Hange, Jean and Eren are quietly discussing. The two brats are looking awfully comfortable with each other and Levi can't resist throwing them a suspicious look. They both pale (which makes the difference in their skin tone quite hilarious) and shrink back into the couch.

"I'm sorry," he apologizes to Hange. They smile. It is softer than their usual one, more understanding. They nod, once, to show they accept his apologies. Eren and Jean glance at one another, lost.

"We are getting this fucking book tonight," he declares. "Whatever it takes."

___

Whatever it takes involves Jean climbing along the wall to check that Cameron Waters is indeed sleeping.

"Did you know he was capable of that?" He slips to Eren when he sees Jean jump from a window ledge to another. Eren doesn't take his eyes off him. "No," he says. He sounds a bit awed.

Jean's dark form disappears at the corner of the building. Levi turns to Hange. "Did you find out what the weird silver jelly left by the thing was?"

"Yes, I did! It is a gel containing silver halide. It is used for photographic films," they explain. "I just don't know what it means... I have never encountered such a creature!" They clap their hands, grinning, their eyes wide with excitement.

"Do I need to remind you that this creature tried to kill us?"

Hange waggles a finger in front of him. "Know your enemy, Detective." Levi slaps their hand away, scowling.

"Jean just did the signal, guys," Eren says. He crosses his arm, looking at them with an amused expression.

"Wipe that smirk from your mouth, brat," Lev grumbles. Eren grins wider, his eyes sparkling.

They make their way to the front of the building. Levi looks around to check the eventual presence of camera. With how rundown the area is, the probability isn't very high, but he prefers to check. Once he's sure no one is around, he pulls out a hairpin.

Hange laughs into their hand. "The cop turns out to be the criminal," they narrate. Eren scoffs and high fives them. Levi carefully ignores them. The door clicks open. "And a good one at that!" Hange whispers with pleased surprise.

Jean is already waiting for them inside, balanced on the window ledge. "Took your time."

"Hange and Levi were busy flirting," Eren teases, waggling his eyebrows. Levi kicks him behind the knee and Eren almost yelps, clamping his hands over his mouth. Jean snickers. He gets a glare for laughing.

"Shut up," Levi snaps. Silence falls on the three of them. "It's not a game."

Hange tilts her head, as if to say sorry. Eren and Jean look down with bashful looks. Levi shakes his head and starts trying to open the other door. He hopes no alarm will go off. They are prepared for this possibility.

All lights are turned off but they expected that. It was why they had sent Jean up. Eren stays outside, checking that no one comes. Levi steps inside. The apartment is a mess, with posters hung all over the walls, CDs cases thrown around the room, some film left haphazardly on the table, a camera, books everywhere.

He tiptoes around the cluster to reach the piles. He hopes the book is around there.

Suddenly, he hears a gasp. He turns around. He cannot see much in the dark. "Levi,"  Hange whispers. He can't mistake the horrified tone in their voice. His gaze follows to where they are pointing. Even in the darkness, he cannot mistake the sprawled form.

_A dead body._


	5. Dead side story

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am done with my exams, amen
> 
> you may have noticed a definite chapter numbers. the end is near. questions will be answered, or theories confirmed.
> 
> enjoy

No one could mistake a sleeping body for a dead one. Lifeless corpses have a stillness, a sort of unnaturalness about their bent limbs that make their death indisputable.

There's a dead body on the floor, a stone in Levi's stomach, and a scream lodged in his throat.

"Tell me it's not Cameron Waters," he rasps. Jean kneels next to it. He raises his head and looks at Levi with eyes so resigned and sad, he doesn't have to utter a word. "How can you know? You can't fucking see a thing in the dark," Levi denies.

"I can. Dullahan eyes," Jean elaborates. "I can see perfectly in the night." He doesn't sound happy about it.

"Fuck," he whispers. He wants to yell it. He is too professional for that. "Have you touched anything?" They both shake their head. "Good. Do you have gloves somewhere? We can't leave any fingerprints."

He doesn't expect any of them to say yes. Yet, Hange pulls out some gloves from one of their countless pockets in the inside of their coat. "I'm a scientist," they justify themselves. "I always have gloves."

Ten minutes later, they still can't find the book. Levi is getting frustrated and even Hange is starting to look exasperated.

"Guys, have you found it?" Eren calls from outside. He pokes his head in. He gapes at them. "What the fuck? There's a dead body on the floor."

Levi grimaces. "Thank you for the very relevant observation, Eren." He grits his teeth.

Jean comes back in the living room, shaking his head. "Nothing in the bedroom and neither in the bathroom. I looked everywhere."

"Did you put everything back where you found it?"

Jean sends Levi a glare. "Who do you take me for?" He sneers. "I've never been caught stealing. I'm not an amateur."

"Not the time for a fight," Hange cuts them off. "We need to hurry up."

"Let's go," he orders. "The body will come back to me on Monday anyway. I'll look for the book and the clues, then. We can't take anything too obvious like the laptop or phone. It'll look suspicious. I'll call you concerning the rest of the investigation."

He sends a meaningful look to Jean. "No one is obligated to take part in it. But we would appreciate it." The boy hides his face, looking away. He doesn't answer. Levi doesn't have time to convince him. He thinks Eren would have a better chance, anyway.

The chill of the night makes Levi shiver. There's bitterness on his tongue and he thinks for a moment it must be the taste of guilt. It clogs his thoughts as he remembers the dead young person upstairs.

___

He doesn't expect anyone to knock on his door. He opens it to discover Hange, grinning widely, holding a bottle of wine.

"No." He tries to close the door in their face but they react too quickly. They stick a foot between the door and the wall. Levi sighs. He apparently doesn't have a choice.

"That wasn't nice," Hange chides him. Levi rolls his eyes and ignores them. They make their way inside, take off their shoes and collapse on the sofa.

"What do you want?" Levi asks, holding his hand out for their atrocious coat. "I'll fill everyone in tomorrow night."

Hange dumps their raincoat on his arms. "I'm not here for the investigation."

Levi frowns. "Why did you come then?" He narrows his eyes at them. "Wait, how did you even get my address in the first place?"

Hange laughs. Levi is not amused. "I asked Armin." They grin at him. "I didn't have to pay anything in exchange. He seemed pretty happy to give it to me."

He greets his teeth. "The little bastard," he curses under his breath. "It still doesn't answer my question."

"Emotional support," they announce loudly to be sure he hears. He has gone the kitchen to get some glasses for the wine and some chips. "I know you took the last murder quite hard."

He joins them on the sofa. He glances at them. Their eyes are soft and understanding. He serves them both, feeling off. "It's just- We were so close and we couldn't manage to save them."

Hange opens the wine bottle and fills his glass to the rim. He shakes his head at them, sending them a confused look. They only grin. They pour themselves the same amount. "It wasn't your fault, you couldn't have known." They bump their glass against his. The wine almost spills out. They murmur sorry. "You weren't the only one. None of us thought about protecting them."

Levi hums. "I suppose." He picks up the remote. "You want to watch something?"

"Sure."

Levi finds some odd tv show based on Agatha Christie's book. "Can I ask you a question?"

Hange shoves a handful of chips. "Go fo' i'," they say around their mouthful. Levi wrinkles his nose.

"You are a witch, right?" Hange nods, their gaze on the tv screen. "I've noticed Edgers don't seem to like you."

Hange finishes chewing. "Witches are not very liked indeed. It's because we are half-human."

Levi cocks an eyebrow. "Why is that a problem?"

"Remember when I told you that planes are like layers? Magic is a bit like a line on a layer. If you draw it on the top layer, it covers all layers. If you draw it on the second layer, it covers all the ones under, but not the top layer."

"That's why humans cannot be affected by magic?"

"Indeed," they confirm. They wink at him. "Meaning, human magic could affect all supernatural creatures if they were magic receptive. But for Edgers, and all other planes, magic can't directly affect humans. Obviously, there are some exceptions, and quite a lot of those, to be honest, but you get the gist of it."

"What does it mean for you?"

"Mmmh, well you see, when a creature from the Fourth Plane has a child with a human, there are three possibilities," Hange explains. "One, the child is more Elemental than human. It basically just creates an Elemental with an actual determined lifespan."

"Elementals can't die?"

"Technically, they can." They frown. "Wait, it's the kid the killer?"

Levi takes a moment to realize they are talking about the tv show. "Apparently," he confirms.

"I didn't see it coming," Hange praises. "Back to our Elementals, though. They are made of ideas, that's why it's nearly impossible for them to die. Half-human Elementals can actually die. They just have a very long lifespan."

"So, Jean, he's what?"

Hange chuckles. "Good question. He's an exact mix between the two. Not exactly human, not exactly Dullahan. He has some dullahan powers and will probably live far longer than most humans. He's an entirely new species altogether, to simplify. Damn, I wish I could study him... Do you think he would accept?"

"Probably not," Levi reasons, "I'm quite sure we traumatized him."

"Such a pity," Hange desolates themselves.

"Where are witches in all that?" Levi asks, to get them back on track.

"We are humans," Hange says, "who can use magic. That's why we are hated by most."

"Oh," Levi breathes. "Does it bother you?"

Hange laughs. "Not really. It makes me look dangerous and important. I've got friends, others can think whatever they want, it doesn't matter to me."

"What are your powers, then?"

Hange grins. "Gotta keep some mystery for myself, don't I?"

Levi shakes his head, but can't help the little smile tugging at his lips.

___

Erwin is impeccably dressed as always, not a hair out of place, his suit tailored to perfection. Levi is still hundred percent convinced Erwin could have modeled if he hadn't gone into law.

The waitress has definitely noticed Erwin's attractiveness. And who can blame her? It is hard to miss. She sits them at the back of the room who is slightly quieter. She smiles, soft and a bit shy, asking for what they'd like to order. Erwin requests a bottle of wine.

"What would you like, Levi?"

He sends Erwin an unimpressed look. "Are you asking me because I'm French or because you are genuinely interested?"

Erwin chuckles and shakes his head. "Just trying to be polite," he says, clearly amused. The waitress is staring at Levi like he has done something terrible.

Erwin orders, she jots it down and walks away.

"How's your investigation going?"

"Not supposed to talk about it," Levi says, not looking up from the menu.

"Heard you found another body this morning," Erwin baits.

"You already know too much, then."

"Come on, Levi, you hate talking about anything personal, that's why I ask about work."

Levi sighs. Erwin's right. The thing is, he can't really talk about work either. He has nothing to say that wouldn't make him look crazy. "I..." He struggles to use the right words. "I met someone." He winces automatically at his poor choice of words.

"You met someone?" Erwin repeats in disbelief. It does sound as bad as Levi had thought it did.

"A friend. Acquaintance," he corrects.

Erwin hums. "How did you two meet?"

"They are the owner of a repair shop," Levi explains. "It was a concourse of special circumstances." This will have to do for now. He cannot tell Erwin much more. He wants to, though. Erwin is still his friend.

He makes a promise to himself to tell Erwin the truth once everything is resolved.

"What's their name?" Erwin asks.

"Hange Zoë."

The waitress comes back and leaves their plates on the table. She doesn't miss the opportunity to send a bright smile to Erwin. He smiles back politely.

"There aren't many people who manage to catch your attention," he remarks. "What makes them special?"

Levi pokes at his dish. "Their horrifying canary yellow raincoat. You know I'm always ready to solve a crime, especially a fashion one," he jokes.

Erwin laughs. His eyes twinkle with amusement and the corners crinkles. Levi gives a small smile. "It's a surprising fashion choice, I must admit," Erwin concedes, grinning wide. "Is there anything else?"

"They are crazy!" Levi complains. "They have an assistant, called Eren, and when I met him he was making things explode. I'm still not sure what he does. I don't even know how many pockets they have in their coat. They have the strangest things in there. They even have test tubes." Levi shakes his head in despair.

Erwin raises an eyebrow, an incredulous grin pulling at his lips. "Test tubes?"

"I don't even know," Levi sighs. "I think they are some kind of scientist? They are just weird, I didn't really look into it."

"They sound rather..." Erwin pauses, obviously looking for the right word. "Surprising."

Levi scoffs. "Yeah, that's a word for it." He hesitates an instant, then decides to go for it. "I like that about them," he admits. Erwin cocks an eyebrow, startled by Levi's confession. "They are so unpredictable, you never know what they are going to pull off next."

Erwin hums. He looks far too unconcerned to be genuine. Levi doesn't mind. He knows he rarely talks about himself. Erwin must be quite taken aback. "Hanging out with them is probably never boring."

"No, it isn't."

For the better or worse.

___

(" _There's meeting with a cinema club on Saturday in her planning," Connie had said._

_"Cinema club," Levi had repeated. A puzzle started to fall into place in his mind. "Gimme the address."_

_He wrote down and called Hange_.)

Eren and Jean are waiting in front of the building. Jean's cheeks and nose are red from the cold. The color is especially visible on his white skin. Eren looks away. It's the sort of things he doesn't want to notice.

"Can I ask you something?" Jean glances at him and waves his hand. Eren isn't sure what it means, but probably something like 'go for it'. He's going to ask anyway. "Two nights ago, you didn't seem surprised to see the body."

Jean purses his lips. "That's not really a question."

"Why weren't you?" Eren corrects, rolling his eyes.

Jean twists his hands in gesture Eren has started to recognize as a nervous one. "Dullahan are-" He bites his lips "- Death. They are a form of Death. Irish one, I guess. In legends, they know who's going to die next. They retrieve them."

"Oh," Eren breathes. He hadn't known. "What does it mean for you?"

"I'm half-Dullahan only, I can't predict death, but-" He looks at Eren. His brown eyes are darker than usual. His eyebrows are furrowed. "I often find bodies. Sometimes, I'll be walking home, I'll look up and I won't be in my neighborhood. I'll have no idea where I am and there will be a dead body at my feet." He kicks a stone. It rolls on the pavement, falls on the road. "When you are fourteen, and it's the first time it happens, it's a shock. Got home, puked my guts in the toilets."

Jean isn't looking at him. "Must have been hard," Eren says. It sounds flat, even to his own ears, but there isn't much to say.

Jean's laugh is a bitter and hollow thing. "Always makes for a funny story in college," he jokes, darkly. "By the time I was sixteen, I got used to it, anyway."

Jean sends him a surprised look when he takes his hands. He squeezes it once. He's never been good with words. Jean's gaze softens, and he squeezes back once, before letting go. His smile is small but genuine.

"Hange, Levi," he greets.

Eren turns around. The two of them are indeed standing behind him. Hange's grin seems too wide for their face, and Levi's staring, unimpressed. Embarrassment burns his cheeks.

"Are you two done?"

Eren seriously considered throwing him over his shoulders and dumping him in the nearest trash. He appraises Levi. He is tiny, but built compact. Eren is quite sure he could pick him up.

Levi raises a challenging eyebrow. Eren huffs, displeased, and turns his gaze away.

"I may have found the link between all our victims," declares Levi.

Eren frowns surprised. He wonders for a moment how Levi could have found it, but he remembers he is indeed a detective. Jean, on his right, crosses his arms, a suspicious look on his face. "Explain."

"My lead in this case was the book. Lily Jones had been killed two days after Alice Beauregard had gotten it back from Hange. It seemed too much of a coincidence, and I had assumed the book was the link," Levi clarifies. "Finding you in Alice's apartment only strengthened my assumption."

"The book isn't the link, then?" Jean guesses.

"No, the book is linked to the two, but only indirectly."

Hange crosses their arms. "Then, what is?"

"A movie club," Levi reveals.

"I have no idea how you got there," Eren admits. Jean snorts. He gets a kick to the shin.

"My subordinate checked and an event for "Movie Club" was written on Cameron's planner. That's when it clicked. I distinctly remembered Alice Beauregard being a film fan. The first victim had been a film teacher. Of course, we cannot be sure until we've checked," Levi concedes, "but I'd bet the link between was that they were all part of the same club."

Hange squeals. "Oh my god, I hadn't thought about it!"

Levi smiles, satisfied with himself. He is almost certain he is right. He only needs the confirmation now. He signs to the others to follow him inside. A young woman is on her phone at the reception. She doesn't look up when they enter. Levi clears his throat.

"Excuse me."

She raises her head. "Do you need something?"

"Yes," he confirms and pulls out his badge from his pocket. "Detective Levi Ackerman. I believe you have a movie club at this time, usually."

"I- I don't know," she stammers. "But I'm pretty sure I have all the registered clubs somewhere."

"I need the names of all the members."

"Why do you need it?" She looks suspiciously at their strange group. Levi can't blame her. They don't look very trustworthy.

Hange leans over the counter, a sly look in their eyes, smirking slightly. "We are investing murders," they whisper. "Some individuals are in grave danger. Your help would really benefit us."

"I see," the receptionist mumbles. Her face is pale as a sheet. She rummages through her desk drawers and pulls out a stack of paper. After a bit of searching, she hands them a sheet. "Here are all the names."

Levi scans it and can only feel grim satisfaction when he recognizes four of the names. They are the four victims. He nods at Hange. "Thank you, Miss, your help is much appreciated."

Mails and phone numbers are written down next to the names. Levi settles against the wall, outside, the bricks digging into his back. They try to call them. The first one doesn't answer. Levi clucks his tongue, irritable. Nothing his way in this damn case.

Luckily, the second one answers. " _Hello?_ "

"Mr. Alexander Schmidt?"

" _That's me, yes,_ " a breathy voice says.

"Sir, we think you are in danger."

A shuddering gasp reaches Levi's ears. Half-muttered whispers are uttered into the phone. " _It found me. No, no- I can't-_ "

"Sir?" Levi calls. "Sir?"

Silence on the other side. He checks his phone. Alexander Schmidt has hanged up on him. "We need to get them. I have the feeling we may find him dead if we don't hurry. Let me just get the address from the police network."

___

Jean checks the scribbled address on the paper. He looks up. A mansion is standing in front of him, gloomy and ominous. He glances at Eren and is pleased to see he looks a little unsettled himself.

"What's her name again?" He asks.

"Desta Kalu."

Eren makes a face. "I don't like this place."

Jean shrugs. "We aren't staying. We are just getting Mrs. Kalu and bringing her back to the shop."

Eren nods firmly and knocks. Waiting, Jean inspects the carving on the door. Flowers, weird creatures, it is an odd mix. The place is dark and emits an uncomfortable aura.

A butler opens the door. He stares at the both of them. Jean kind of wants to hide behind Eren for an instant. "What do you want?" The butler asks.

"We need to talk to Mrs. Desta Kalu. It is very important," Eren says.

The butler's gaze slides over them, taking into account their disheveled look. "She is not available at the moment."

Erne grits his teeth. He looks fuming. Jean grips his arms, digging his thumb into his muscles. Don't do anything stupid, he tries to convey through the touch. Eren takes a deep breath. "Mister, it is a question of life or death."

"We have found forensic evidence that Mrs. Kalu could be attacked and killed in the next few days. We would just like to talk to her," Jean adds.

"I am deeply sorry, but Mrs. Kalu is not available," the butler repeats, as unemotional as before. A frustrated groan burns at Jean's lips. He keeps it in.

He turns to Eren, his palm up. "Give me a card," he orders. Eren raises an eyebrow, confused. "A card of 6-fix-under," he precises.

Eren digs in his pocket, and pulls out the gray rectangle. Jean takes the pen he keeps inside his pocket and scribbles his number at the back of it. He hands it to the butler. "Tell Mrs. Kalu to call the number on this card, or my own private number once she is able to do so. Please, do mention how important it is. My name is Jean Kirschstein, and this is Eren-" He falters, realizing he doesn't know Eren's last name.

"Jaeger. Eren Jaeger," Eren completes for him.

The butler nods. "Good day, sirs." He closes the door before they can say anything else.

They start to walk back toward the main road. Eren is almost stomping. "What an asshole," he grumbles. Jean cannot agree more with him.

That's when a car rolls into a water puddle and splashes them both. Jean wants to scream. He inhales sharply through his nose instead. Eren swears loudly. Jean grabs his hand before he can run after the driver.

"Don't."

Eren squeezes his hand hard, and Jean hisses under his breath. Eren automatically releases his hand. "Sorry," he apologizes, looking sheepish. "What are we going to do?"

"My place isn't very far. Let's get clean clothes first," Jean says. "Then, we are coming back." Determination makes his voice steady and certain.

"What do you suggest?"

"Kidnapping," Jean reveals, truthfully. "For her own good."

Eren grins. He's already taken part in one kidnapping, it cannot get much worse than that. "Sounds like a terrible idea," he points out. "I'm in."

___

"I hope Eren and Jean won't do anything stupid," Hange says.

They trail their fingers along the bricks of the building on their right. Levi wrinkles his nose. They are in a small, dirty alley. The smell of trash and fish is heavy in the air. He checks the number again. 36, the door reads. It is the right address.

"They are probably already doing something stupid," he dismisses. "I feel sorry for the guy who lives in here."

Hange hums thoughtfully. "It does look quite shabby."

Levi shrugs. It doesn't really matter. He knocks. Nothing happens. He knocks again, louder this time. A man opens, big round glasses on his nose, freckles all over his cheekbones. His fingers are in his mouth. His gaze is suspicious. He can't keep still.

"Who are you?" He asks, looking on the left.

Levi sends a look to Hange. They shrug, as confused as he is. "Are you Alexander Schmidt?"

He nods in quick bobs of his head.

"Sir, we believe you are in grave danger," Levi reveals, ready to catch the guy before he disappears behind his door. Yet, Alexander Schmidt doesn't move, to Levi's surprise.

Black eyes sweep over them, before looking up, then left. He nibbles at his cuticles. Anxiety is clearly apparent in his taunt form, in the tense line of his shoulders. He pokes his head outside, checks left, right, then holds his door open. "I know, I know, I know," he quavers. "It's coming for me."

"I'm sorry, what?" Levi asks, puzzled. "Is there someone after you? I'm a cop, I can help."

"No, no you can't." Alexander shakes his head. "It isn't a someone. It's a _something_."

Hange gasps dramatically. They are practically bouncing. "Please, tell me more."

"Why would I do that?"

"Because I am a witch, and I can help you," Hange declares. "Now," they say, grinning and it looks almost too big for their face, "tell me about this _it_."


	6. The Grave Escape

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> nanowrimo is kicking my ass, i'm sorry
> 
> please let me cry in peace

_Crack_.

A branch breaks. Jean stills. Listens. No other sound comes. He turns to Eren. "Be careful! You're gonna get us caught," he hisses at him.

Eren rolls his eyes, but his next step is mindful.

They go around the house. Or mansion, Jean corrects internally. It has _more_ than four corners. Any house with more than the usual four corners is weird in Jean's opinion.

"From the blueprints, we can assume that this window is her room," Jean fills Eren in.

"How the hell did you even get the prints so fast?"

Jean blinks. "I'm a thief?"

Eren groans. "Oh, yes, how _could_ I forget?"

"Did you just use sarcasm?"

"No, I danced the salsa."

"I didn't know you were capable of it," Jean admits, and winks at him. "I'm proud of you, young Padawan."

Eren just sighs loudly, and Jean grins, satisfied. He beckons Jean to come closer. "I'm gonna push you up to it," he explains.

It makes sense. Eren links his hands together. Jean fits in his foot, his hands on Eren's shoulders. They are firm and wide under his palms. Jean gets distracted for a handful of seconds. "Ready?" Eren warns.

Jean pushes up, helped by the momentum Eren gives him. Stretching to the maximum, he grabs the window ledge and hoists himself up. Once he's up, he kneels and offers his hand to Eren to pull him up.

Eren grabs it and Jean almost let him go. "What the fuck do you eat? You are heavy."

"You are just weak," Eren shoots back, once he is safely in the house.

Jean looks around him. The room is ostentatious, with huge tapestries all over the walls. Dark red is the dominant color, bringing out golden touches everywhere.

His gaze settles on the couch where a woman is sitting, crossed legs, raised eyebrows. She is wearing a long white dress, contrasting sharply with her ebony skin.

"Eren," he whispers, as if the woman hadn't seen him.

"I think we were discovered," Eren whispers back.

"You think?" The woman jumps in. Jean grimaces. Eren looks away.

"It's not what it looks like," Jean blurts out.

Desta Kalu stands up. She is tall, all long legs and lean silhouette. It doesn't help that both Eren and Jean are still sprawled over the carpet. He stands up himself to balance the scale out. She still has an inch on him, and it makes him quite uncomfortable.

He wonders how Eren, smaller than himself by a good two inches, feels.

"You weren't here to steal my collection of glass pigs?"

Jean opens his mouth to answer in the moment, but closes it when he processes what she has said. He frowns, glances at Eren. He looks even more lost and he only get a shrug as help.

"No, we were... not," he denies, a bit unsure. "We are concerned about your safety and your butler wouldn't let us pass. That's why we climbed through your window."

"We are very sorry about that, Madam," Eren apologizes, smiling charmingly. With his big ocean eyes, his bronze skin and his pretty face, he's guaranteed to be accepted.

It does work, and Desta oftens. "My safety? Why is it of your concern?"

None, in Jean's opinion. He doesn't care. He just promised to Eren he would help them until the end of the case. "We are working with Detective Ackerman on a murder case. We believe the murderer is targeting you."

"That sounds quite preposterous," she dismisses. "I am perfectly safe in my home."

Jean sighs. "Madam. Four other people already died. Are you not aware that members of your movie club have been dying all over the place?"

"I am perfectly aware, mind you," she says. "It doesn't change my answer. I am perfectly fine where I am."

Jean rubs the bridge of his nose. Eren pokes his hand with a finger, his eyes asking. He ignores him. "I am sorry for doing this, Mrs. Kalu," he apologizes.

He digs out his pocket knife. Eren gasps on his right. "Don't-"

Jean cuts his own palm. Instead of bleeding, smoke curls out of the wound. Jean blows on the wound. Black smoke flies toward Mrs. Kalu, circles around her head. She blinks and collapses. Eren barely catches her before she reaches the floor. "Did you just kill her!?" He screeches.

"She's just asleep," Jean stops him before he can scream any louder and warn the entire mansion that their employer is getting kidnapped.

He'd like to mention, kidnapping may not be as uncomfortable as he thought, but it is still so much better than being the one kidnapped.

Eren sticks to fingers to Mrs. Kalu throat, his eyebrows frowned. For a moment, he stays still, then he sighs with relief. "How did you do that?"

"Dullahan. I got a lot of stupid stuff, but I am gifted with a few perks. Including this."

"You could have used it on us to escape when we kidnapped you."

Jean shakes his head. "No, I couldn't have. I need to have a wound."

"But, it wasn't blood that came out. It was a weird black stuff," Eren points out, confused. He grabs Jean's hand to inspect where the palm should be bleeding. He glances at Jean with disbelief when he only finds smooth skin.

"It isn't blood. I'm not sure what it is," Jean admits, and shrugs. "I only have a limited supply, but it pretty much does whatever I want."

Before they can continue their conversation, they hear voices. Jean's heart jumps in his chest. Shit, he really doesn't want to get caught. He glances at Mrs. Kalu, asleep on the floor, softly snoring. He has no idea how they are going to transport her.

He doesn't have to wonder for long. Eren grabs her and hoists her on his shoulder. She barely looks heavy when he handles her. He tilts his head his towards the window. "Go first, you'll catch her from downstairs."

Jean climbs out of the window and raises his arms, ready to catch Mrs. Kalu. Eren is gentler than he excepted, going as low as he can, before he lets her go. She lands in Jean's arms. She's heavier than he expected and he almost falls backward.

Eren jumps down next and takes her back. Jean licks his lips and swallows. He now knows the weight of her, and Eren must be especially strong to make carrying her look like it is effortless.

He slides her on his shoulder until he is basically carrying her like a potato bag. "Let's go, I don't wanna stick around for when they discover their beloved Desta Kalu isn't here anymore."

Jean can't agree more.

___

Alexander ushers them inside. He closes the door behind them. He turns three locks. Levi sincerely hopes they won't have to leave in a hurry, or they will be almost certain to be dead.

"Sit wherever you want." He waves his hand to the room.

The mess doesn't offer many seats. There are books thrown everywhere, some open, some closed, some piled in hazardous piles. A glass sits precariously on one of these piles. Levi has the urge to move it. He knows it's only a matter of time before it ends up on the floor.

Hange doesn't seem to mind. It's not surprising, since their lab is pretty much in the same taste, Levi thinks. They sit on the floor. Alexander takes the stool, bouncing his leg.

"You can help me?"

Hange nods. "We already know this 'something' you were talking about is chasing all the members of your little movie club."

Levi gingerly sits next to Hange, wrinkling his nose at the state of the ground. "I'm Detective Levi Ackerman," he introduces himself, showing his badge. "I am in charge of your case."

Alexander sighs shakily. "A simple cop can't do anything."

"Why is that?"

"They messed around with magic," Hange jumps in. Their eyes look dark, darker than he's ever seen them. For a moment, there's something distinctly not human in the way they grin. They cluck their tongue. "Dangerous game for humans. Humans and magic are incompatible. You have no control and magic..."

Their voice drops down, dark and deep. Hange's eyes are black, not brown anymore. Levi thinks, for a moment, this is how

Hange leans over, grabs Alexander by the chin. "Magic is unpredictable. Magic is treacherous. Magic can be fatal."

Alexander makes a strangled sound at the back of his throat. "Yes, _yes_ , and we paid the price!" He cries out. His fingers dig in his jeans, and his lip is bitten to the pulp.

Hange stands up. "What did you do?" They ask, their tine cold and unforgiving.

"Alice," he whispers looking up at Hange. Levi almost feels pity for him, as he's been in this situation not so long ago. "She brought a book. It looked silly at first. You could create your own black and white movie star. In reality. We all thought it was a funny game."

"You created one," Hange concludes. "But it wasn't what you excepted, wasn't it?"

Alexander's entire body seems to drop on itself. Apparently, the truth had been weighting on him. "No, it wasn't."

"The monster, the one we fought," Levi realizes. "That's what you created. That's why we found silver halide. "

Silver halide is a photosensitive mix used on film. Suddenly it made sense for the creature to shed the blend everywhere it went.

"You met it?" Alexander squeaks. "How are you not dead?"

Levi points at Hange. "My partner," he says, trying to keep pride out of his tone.

"Oh my god, this is not good," Alexander despairs. "Not good, not good, not good, not good." He stands up abruptly, paces around the room.

"What is the problem?" Levi asks, trying to soothe him with a hand on his shoulder. Alexander slaps it away.

"You brought it!" He shouts. "It wants me dead and you fucking brought it here!"

As if to confirm the anguished shout, the door rattles ominously. Levi decides he does not like being in a reenactment of a horror movie.

"Please calm down," he intones Alexander, redying his weapon.

"NO! I cannot calm the fuck down!" Alexander hits a pile of books with his frantic hands movements. "This fucking thing wants _me_ dead. All of us, the creators! And you know how it kills? It sucks the fucking colors out of your fucking body! And why does that kill you? I HAVE NO FUCKING CLUE."

He throws a book across the room. Levi ducks to avoid it. "I AM TOO YOUNG TO DIE. THIS IS ALL ALICE'S FAULT." He drops to the floor, curled up in a ball, crying. Levi really doesn't want to deal with this shit, right now.

"Do we know how to fight this thing?" He whispers to Hange.

They shake their head. "We are not even sure it is _it_."

"Given our track record, I'd bet 20 bucks on it."

_Bam. Bam. Bam._

Three hard knocks on the window. Levi kneels out of view, and slowly makes his way to the window. He adjusts his hold on his gun. Loads it. He is ready to shoot.

He takes a peak outside.

He is greeted by a silverish blob, dripping all over the floor of the alley. Tentacles surround it. One moment, he can see the contour of a face in the gelatine. It reminds him mildly of someone.

Probably a famous actor, he figures.

"We are in deep trouble," he warns both of them.

Alexander makes a pathetic whine from his place on the floor. Hange reaches inside their yellow coat and pulls various weapons out. "I'm ready to fight," they declare.

Levi gives them an appreciative noise. He kicks Alexander. "Move, coward. We'll save your scrawny ass, but you need to defend yourself too."

"I am weak," he whimpers. "I'm a physic teacher, I can't do anything."

Levi rolls his eyes and kicks him again, glaring at him. Alexander finally moves, crawling over the floor to reach his kitchen.

_Bam. Bam. Bam._

The window cracks. Silver goo drips from the holes.

"We need an action plan, now."

Hange comes stand next to him. "Improvisation. Then, we run."

Levi snorts. "Let's go for that."

The window explodes, sending glass everywhere. Levi is glad both of them are standing rather far from it. The monster more or less rolls inside. It makes slick sounds at every movement.

Even as a detective, Levi has probably never seen something as disgusting.

He fires.

One tentacle recoils, dripping grey liquid on the floor. A deafening screech echoes in the room. A cold shiver goes down his spine.

Alexander comes back in the room carrying various household products in his arms. "What the fuck are you doing?" Levi shouts at him.

He has to jump back. The tentacle barely misses beheading him. In its momentum it swipes Hange from their feet. They roll on the floor.

Levi's heart is in his throat.

They stand up with a groan. They curse. In their hand, a throwing knife. With a battle cry, they step with all their strength on a limb reaching for their ankle. It explodes with a sickening sound, staining everything on a one meter radius.

"AAAAARGH!" Alexander screams.

He runs toward the thing, a bottle of bleach in his hand. Levi briefly wonders if he's stupid or just suicidal. He fires at the monster to protect him.

_Pam. Pam. Pam._

Three shots. He misses one.

Alexander has time to empty half of the bottle on it. It whips its tentacle. Throws him against the wall. He falls back on the floor, his head bleeding.

Levi swears. "We need to get the fuck out of here."

"How?" Hange grits. The creature bobbing up and down in front of the door.

They grab a book, throws it at the monster. It catches it, reduces it to piece in a matter of seconds. Levi winces.

"I'll distract him. Get Alexander and asks him if there is another-"

Hange throws themselves at him. A tentacle slices the air over them. They both sprawl on the ground, behind the couch. His breath is kicked out of his lungs and he gasps.

Hange rolls off of him. "Lighter?"

"What?"

Hange pats him down in quick movements. Levi stays frozen. They pull out a lighter from his pants pocket. "Got it," they grin. Their hair is a mess, their eyes sparkles with something almost malicious. "I got an idea," they whisper. "I'll distract it."

Levi catches their wrist. "Don't do anything stupid."

Hange winks at him. "Stupid is my middle name."

They jump over the couch. They hold a metallic can in their hand, their lighter in another.

Levi runs to Alexander. He shakes him. He doesn't move.

He slaps him.

Alexander wakes up, gasping. "Exit, now!" Levi ushers him.

Alexander blinks. "Wha-"

The creature keens. The sound is shrilling. Levi chances a glance. Hange is keeping the beast away with a makeshift flamethrower.

Goddammit.

"Kitchen," Alexander blurts out. "We break the window, jump from there."

He stands up, hauls Alexander to his feet. He shouts at Hange their plan. They show they understood with a thumb up. The thing hovers close to them. Its hundred of eyes are always moving, rolling, blinking, staring.

He's gonna have nightmares for the next month. A least.

The kitchen is even more a mess than the living room. Levi spots the window right away. He throws his elbow in the glass. It breaks, sprays the floor with hundred of shining pieces. Cold air sprints inside. He takes off his jacket, lays it on the edge.

Alexander seems to be hesitating. Furious, Levi almost forces him to jump out. The scientist isn't very stubborn, fortunately, and climbs slowly out of the window.

A loud noise startles him.

He hurries back to the living room. Hange gets hit by a tentacle, right in the stomach. His blood runs cold.

They collapse.

Their green shirt slowly turns red. Levi runs to them. He checks under their shirt. The wound isn't deep and probably not life threatening. He presses his hand to the wound, cursing. Hange moans, pitiful. "Fuck, it hurts," they complain weakly. Even then, they are still smiling.

"Why are you so stupid," Levi chastises them. Hange laughs. The sound is broken by a cough. He can feel warm blood under his hand.

A tentacle snatches his wrist. Levi uses the empty can of hair spray to beat it as hard as it can. He throws it at the monster. It hits it in one of its multiple eyes.

He picks Hange up.

Runs away.

___

Eren's heart drops when he sees Hange in Levi's arms. "What did you do?!" He screams.

Levi levels him with one cold look. "I did nothing. We got attacked. The same monster as last time."

Eren takes a deep breath to calm himself down. _Breathe_ , he repeats to himself. Anger is still churning in his stomach.

Levi deposits them on the couch. He kneels next to them right away. They are still conscious. Their glasses are nowhere to be seen. "How are you feeling?" He asks.

"Do you remember that one time we broke a can of laughing gas?" Eren nods. "Kind of like that. But more painful."

Eren can't help the smile tugging at his lips. He smooths his thumb along their cheek. A bruise is blossoming there, ugly blue on their tan skin.

"Kid, I need anesthetic and whatever you have to sew," Levi demands.

Eren goes to stand up. Jean stops him with a hand on his shoulder. "I'll get it. Where is it?"

"The first aid kit is in the bathroom. We have sewing stuff under Hange's bed," Eren instructs him. He sends Jean a grateful smile.

Levi sits next to him. "I'm sorry, Eren," he apologizes.

Erne is surprised by how carefully he says his name. It softens the rage in his throat a bit. "I'm sorry too. For snapping at you."

"I get it, kid, don't worry. They distracted the monster, you know? God, they are crazy," he breathes.

He gazes at Hange. His gaze is soft, something fond in his gray eyes. Eren turns away. He feels like he's intruding on something.

"Don't I know that," Eren

They hear a snort. "I'm not a daughter to marry, you stupid geese," Hange chastises them. "Also, I'm injured, not deaf."

"Sorry, sorry," Eren apologizes. He takes Hange hands, drawing lazy circles on the back. Their fingers are cold. He doesn't like it. "You need to be more careful."

Hange rolls their eyes and doesn't answer.

Jean comes back with the first aid kit and sewing supplies. "I only found 90 degree alcohol to disinfect."

Levi wrinkles his nose. "It'll do the trick. Not gonna be pleasant though."

"I've gotten worse before," Hange reassures. Eren can confirm. Doesn't mean it makes him feel better. He keeps his hold on their hand.

Levi prepares the needles. Jean wets cotton with alcohol. He dabs the wound gently. Hange winces, tightening their hold on his hand.

"It's gonna hurt," Levi warns.

Hange nods once.

He starts stitching the wound back. Eren can't feel his fingers anymore. Tears are threatening to spill every time he hears Hange's whimpers of pain. A sob is at the back of his throat. The bitter taste of blood fills his mouth from where he bit his lip too hard. "Almost done," he sooths Hange, pushing their head back from their forehead. The words are almost more for him than them.

After a time that seems infinite, Levi declares he's done. The wound is stitched back nicely, a garish line along Hange's abdomen. It'll leave a scar. They won't mind, Eren knows, they already have so many.

"I'm gonna pass out," Hange breathes. "Eren, please set up a barrier. We need protection," they order. They promptly faints.

Eren stands up. His knees hurt. Kneeling for so long isn't comfortable. "I'll take care of the barrier. Can you bring them to their bed? Change their t-shirt too," he adds.

He climbs the stairs, enters their lab. He gathers candle, charcoal and a spell book titled _Homemade kekkai_ , and matches.

"Are you okay?" Jean asks when he comes back downstairs.

"I'm fine," he bites out. Jean doesn't pursue the discussion.

Eren gives him to candles, instructs him to put them at the corner of the room. He does the same on the other side. He opens the book. Various japanese characters are illustrated throughout the book. He locates the protection one, draws it with charcoal on the side of a bowl.

He puts a candle inside and lights it. He goes around the room and does the same for the other ones.

The shop finally protected, he collapses on the couch. "Are you okay?" Jean asks, as he comes sitting next to him.

Eren lets his head falls on his shoulder. "Yeah, I'm just-" he yawns "-tired."

__

Hange wakes up two hours later. Their abdomen hurts. They wince as they try to sit up. A hand on their shoulder stops them. Levi is sitting next to their bed.

They grin, happy to see him. He looks quite disheveled. His hair is sticking out. He has a gash on his forehead, several bandaid on his hands. "You look like hell," they tease.

"You should see yourself before talking," he shoots back, deadpan. They can't help the little laugh that escapes their lips. Laughing hurts though, and they flinch. "You are crazy stupid."

"Rude, Levi," they complain half-heartedly. They know he doesn't really mean it.

"Why would you throw yourself at this monster? Have you seen it? I know you are mostly blind, but still, you had your glasses!" He throws his hands in the air, groaning in frustration. "I had to stitch you up. Also, you hands are burned."

"Makeshift flamethrowers aren't very practical weapons," they pout.

Levi sighs. "Thank you, for..."

Hange puts cover his hands with theirs. His hand is small, but tough and calloused. "Don't thank me. I did it for myself too."

Levi rolls his eyes. "Your assistant hates me."

"Eren doesn't hate you," Hange reassures him. "I'm actually quite sure he likes you. He's just wary of humans."

"Yeah, you told me already." Levi hums.

Eren and Jean enter the room. Behind them are trailing the two rescued movie club members, Alexander Schmidt, banged up but alive, and a beautiful stranger with long black lustrous hair, skin so dark it is almost black, and a white dress.

Hange pulls themselves slowly up. Their wound is tight and they grimace. Levi automatically reaches a hand, but they slap it away. He shakes his head, but doesn't try again.

"Sorry, I can't properly greet you," they apologize.

"Are you the one who asked for my kidnapping?" She jumps right in. Hange can't help but laugh.

"I did ask them to retrieve you," Hange confirms. "To protect you. I didn't specify the manner, though."

The lady sits in the chair close to the door. Her dress pools around her. "I was perfectly safe in my home."

"Do you believe in witches, Madam?"

The lady's gaze flickers to Hange's face. "Yes, I do. Are you one?"

"I am."

"I see," Desta acknowledges. "Fine, I will listen to your advice."

Hange looks around the room. Everyone is looking at her with various expressions. Jean looks annoyed, Eren concerned. Levi's expression is his default bored one. Desta's face is unreadable and regal. Alexander looks anxious, which does not surprise Hange.

They are quite excited to ask him questions about the creatures they created.

"Tell me everything you know about the monster," they order.

Alexander shivers and casts his gaze downstairs. "We don't know much."

"It isn't sentient," Desta informs them. "But it has strong survival instincts."

Hange hums. Interesting. It would suggest the creature is attacking its creators for simple survival. "Do you think it is possible it stole the book?"

Alexander nods sharply. "When we created it, the very moment before it seperated from us, we were in its head. The only thing it thought about was eating and survival. It isn't sentient, but it's intelligent enough to understand the book contains the information on how to kill it."

"That's only your interpretation, Alexander," Desta points out, voice sharp. Alexander recoils, trying to seem even smaller than he already is. Hange doesn't like her commanding air.

"I believe his interpretation makes sense," they defend. Desta huffs haughtily. Hange smiles with satisfaction.

"Why is that important?" Levi snaps. "We just need a way to kill it."

"Fire," Eren gasps. "This thing leaves trails of silver halide. It's the gel used for film rolls. And what's the best way to destroy a film? Fire."

Hange beams at him. "Yes, fire!" They exclaim. "It did look very reluctant about coming close to me when I was throwing fire around."

Eren makes a chocking sound. "I'm sorry? Throwing fire around?" He repeats, shocked. He glares at Levi. "You had one fucking job, you stupid cop! Keep them safe!"

"It's not my fault your employer has a death wish, you dumb kid!" Levi snarls.

Eren groans, baring his sharp teeth. Hange watches with glee, grinning widely. Levi's hand brushes instinctively his gun.

Jean steps in. "The both of you are idiots!" He shouts. "Do I need to remind you that a creature is after us? With the express goal of killing us!"

"I'm too young to die!" Alexander whimpers.

Shame, Hange would have liked the entertainment. Being stuck in your bed is boring. They want to go do research, but they'll have to settle for what they already know.

"Aren't you happy Eren, you'll get to play with explosives again!"

Eren brightens up like a kid on Christmas. He pumps a fist in the air, and Hange can already see the wheels turning in his head, cataloguing what they have in the lab. Jean makes a face stuck between fear and awe. They are adorable. And Eren is oblivious.

Levi, on the other hand, is closer to horrified and scared. "Explosives?"

Hange laughs. They pat his hand. "Eren is quite adept with them, don't worry."

"I worry all the time since I met you," he challenges. "Even more when you tell me to not worry. I know it means you're going to do something stupid. And then you expect Eren to be responsible. You are a terrible influence on the kid."

"Oh, come on Levi, we have fun together," Hange whines. "Don't you like adventure?"

"As a detective, I have plenty of adventure already."

They hear a cough. They both their attention to Alexander. "We may need a plan?" He suggests, wisely. "The barrier won't hold forever."

"We should lure him in a abandoned place," Jean offers.

A sound idea. The kid is smart. Maybe they could teach him a magic trick or two. And in exchange, he'll let them experiment on him? They strongly want to cut him open and see what's inside.

"I'm gonna call Armin," Eren informs them. "I'm sure he'll know where we can bring it."

Desta, who has been silent until now, gazing through the window, turns around. "The question is how we'll leave without one of us getting killed when the creature is right downstairs."

Hange springs up, curiosity telling them to check. They flinch at the pain that pierce their side. They curse, attracting Levi's attention back on them. He rolls his eyes. "We told you not to move, dumbass. We'll take care of the rest."

His tone is exasperated but fond. Hange can't find him when he takes this specific one. They lay back down, pouting. "I want update on everything. And painkillers. Also bring me my laptop, I need to check how much I can take before I have an overdose."

Levi sighs, clearly not happy, but accepts. He shoos everyone out of the room, calling them a bunch of lazy asses. They scatter away, muttering for some about plans, calls, or their imminent probably death.

__

Eren dials Armin's number. He catches Jean searching trough books, piling them in his arms, talking to himself about how he did not ask for this.

It makes Eren's laugh, his sarcasm.

His friend answers. "Armin, I need you to find where I can lure a murderous creatures after me and some other people to a empty place where I can set it on fire."

" _WHAT?_ " A voice screams into his ear.

He is so fucked. Oh my god. He can say bye to any freedom. Mikasa, his sister is on the other side of the phone, Armin's phone, and she should have never known about his shenanigans.

"It's not what you think, it was a joke!" He denies meekly. Jean's laughs reaches his ear and he flips him off.

" _You are a lousy liar, Eren Jaeger!_ " Mikasa shouts back. " _I am coming and getting you right away. Where are you?_ "

"Nowhere!"

" _You are at this shop, I'm sure,_ " she guesses accurately. " _I knew I shouldn't have let you work with this witch. They have a loose screw, I knew they would get you in trouble._ "

"It really is not their fault," Eren defends them, though it is half a lie. Hange was the one who asked to be a part of this investigation. "Let me explain myself first, and then you can decide what to do, okay?"

Mikasa sighs. " _Fine. Explain yourself right away._ "

Eren summarizes the investigation for her. "... and so now, we think burning it should be enough. It's dangerous, though, that's why we need to bring it to a secluded place."

Eren doesn't have to see his sister to know she is very annoyed. " _I see,_ " she says, in a very controlled voice. That does not bode well for him. He is in a world of trouble when he comes back home. " _I will give Armin his phone back, and I will get all of you to the place._ "

"Didn't you hear me? The creature is right outside. We are only protected by a kekkai!" Eren protests. He doesn't want Mikasa to come. If the monster has managed to get to Hange, it means it's very dangerous. He doesn't want to Mikasa to get hurt.

" _I know exactly what I am doing,_ " she declares. " _I will see you later,bye_."

Eren winces at her tone. He'll have to buy a gift for her as an apology and for his own survival.

" _Hello_ ," Armin says.

"Hey."

" _Eren, I don't know what you did, but I can tell you you are deeeeeeeep trouble,_ " Armin warns, and laughs at the end of his sentence, this bastard.

"I know, shut up, it's your fault, you should have taken the phone first," Eren snaps. "I need your help."

" _Sorry about that, you know how she is,_ " Armin apologizes half-heartedely. Eren can hear the grin in his voice. " _What do you want?_ "

"An abandoned warehouse, or something like that."

Armin hums into the phone. " _Give me ten minutes I'll see what I can find for you. I'll send you a text with the address._ "

"Thanks."

Eren hangs up. He notices Jean watching him. "Is there something on my face?"

Jean blushes. Eren assumes he's embarrassed to have been caught staring. He shakes his head. "No, I just- Who was that?" He changes the subject.

"Armin, childhood friend. I'll introduce you some day, if you want."

Jean blinks. Eren doesn't understand his confusion. "You mean, you'd still like to hang out after this investigation?" Jean asks hesitantly.

Eren hadn't thought about that. Actually, he rarely thinks before acting, so it's not surprising.

"Yes, sure, I wouldn't have said that if I didn't want to." He shrugs. Jean gives a him a small, pleased smile. His brown eyes are lighter than usual, almost gold. Eren's heart skips a beat. "I can't believe I thought you were cool. You're a giant loser," he teases, to hide how weird he feels.

"Shut up," is Jean's comeback. Not very original. "I thought you had some things to prepare?"

Eren stands up. "You are right!" He throws an arm around Jean's shoulders. He has to stand on his tiptoes for that, making Jean snickers. "Come with me, I'll teach you how to make molotov cocktails. It'll be fun."

Jean gulps loudly. It's Eren's turn to snicker.


	7. How to kill a mocking monster

Hange gathers Desta and Alexander to their room. They also grab Jean on the way, who follows, confused and unsure of his role. Hange is a mystery. Half of their rambling doesn't make any sense to him, and he prefers not to ask for precisions.

They limp to their bed. "You cannot come with us," they inform Desta and Alexander. "I also need to make you completely disappear from this plane."

"Is it going to have side effects?" Alexander immediately asks, concerned.

"Less side effect than being dead, I can promise you that," they dismiss, sarcastic. Jean can appreciate a good comeback. They don't have time to deal with stupid and unnecessary questions, anyway.

What he doesn't appreciate, though, is when Hange grabs his hand, takes out a pocket knife, and cuts his palm open. He swears. His blood drips on the floor.

"I needed the blood from a Third Plane creature," they justify.

"Warning me before you decided that cutting people open without their consent is acceptable would have been appreciated," he complains. It goes largely unnoticed as Hange is already opening a pouch and holds his hand over it. Drops of blood pour in. They close the pouch back, shake everything together.

They point at Alexander and Desta. "You two, I'm going to create a kekkai around you. Don't leave it or you'll die," they order. "Or more clearly, all of us will die."

Desta crosses her arm with a huff. "This is ridiculous. I will not be held prisoner in this disgusting and shabby apartment."

That was the wrong this to say. He can almost see the smoke coming out of Hange's ears. "Really? This is what you are going for when all of this fucking mess is your fault," they snarl. They shove Desta backward. Her back hits the wall. Jean snatches Hange's wrist. They yank it out of his grip. "Get the fuck away from me," they spit, venomous. Their eyes are black and it sends a chill down Jean's spine.

He takes two steps back out of sheer instinct. A scream is clawing at his throat. His heart is thumping against the inside of his chest.

"You are the one who created this mess," Hange accuses Desta. "You created this monster, because humans have no respect for anything and can't keep their fucking hands to themselves. You are a disgrace. You caused everything. You thought I wouldn't know, right? If it had only been humans, it wouldn't have worked. After all, humans are insensitive to magic." Hange laughs. It's a bitter and dark thing. It echoes all around them, dripping in his ears, cold fingers on his nape. Shadows are gathering on the floor, along the walls. "But you, _oh you_ , you have just enough fairy blood to activate the spell."

Hange closes their hand around Desta's throat. "I wonder," they hiss, "what would happen if I killed you. Would it disappear? That would make things so much simpler, wouldn't it?"

"Stop it!" A deep voice shouts.

Hange turns around. The shadows recede, curling around Hange. Levi is standing his gun in his hand, pointing at Hange.

"Let her go."

Hange smiles, and it is more a gaping hole of sharp teeth than the stretch of lips. "Or what?"

"I will shoot you." Levi takes off the safety of his gun. Jean wants to be anywhere but here.

Hange lets Desta go. She falls on the ground, holding her neck, breathing harshly. "You are crazy," she rasps.

Hange stares at her down, standing from their full height. "You killed people."

They turn around, and leave the room. Levi follows them.  
__

Hange throws their cup on the floor. It explodes, leaves pieces everywhere.

"Look at the mess you made," Levi scolds them.

They open their cupboard and grab their broom with brusque movements.

Levi stops them with a hand on their own. For a stilled moment, a handful of heartbeats, they want to slap his hand away. But it passes, and they let him tangle their fingers together. They inspect their linked hands, his clean calloused fingers, their own bitten nails.

"I am so angry, Levi," they admit. "I think... I could have killed her."

They tighten their hold on his own. The frown between his eyebrows deepens, but they can't bring themselves to loosen their grip. He is an anchor to them. "I think so too," he says. His gray eyes are uncharacteristically soft.

They ducks their head, fidgeting from foot to foot. "Did I scare you?"

Levi seems to consider it, gazing at the wall. "You did," he says, honestly. "But you scare me often."

They can't help the little laugh that bubbles up their throat. Levi sends them a small smile at the sound, and they can't regret it. They let their head fall on Levi's shoulder. His thumb brushes over their knuckles, gentle, a little tender. "I'm sorry," they whisper.

Levi hums. Hange can feel the vibrations where their cheek is pressed against his neck. "How are you sure she has a fairy blood?"

They straighten up, tap their own chest. "Her necklace, it's bezoar. The antidote stone. Iron is toxic to the Fair Folk. They wear jewelry made of bezoar to protect themselves."

"I see." He raises his arm. His fingertips brush against their cheek as he pushes back a stray hair behind their ear. "Still angry?" He asks. The mischievous glint in his eyes is surprising.

"I am, why?"

He grins, small, playful. "I think you need a distraction."

Hange squeezes his hand. "A distraction," they repeat, interested despite themselves. "And what do you suggest?"

Levi cups the back of their neck, and then, he kisses them. Hange blinks. His lips are thin and a bit chapped. It takes them a moment to relax. They close their eyes, loop their arms around his neck. Levi is a little rough in his manners, a bit awkward, but the way he kisses is careful, almost delicate in its nature.

"Was that a suitable distraction?" He asks against their lips.

"Suitable, but not appropriate," Hange answers, smiling. "Kissing when we are supposed to be preparing for a magically formed monster who intends to kill us? That's bad timing worthy of Hollywood."

Levi disentangles himself from them, smooths the front of his shirt. "You are right," he agrees, trying to keep a straight face (and failing). "Completely inappropriate."

Hange kisses his cheek, because they can. "Come on, we can't let all the work to the kids. Time to be responsible adults."  
__

Mikasa Ackerman just wanted to enjoy her free afternoon in peace. She'd forgotten how often her adopted brother managed to fuck up her plans.

She grabs Armin by the collar. He squeaks, almost dropping his phone. "I'm not done!"

She throws him in the car. "Search faster. You have ten minutes."

She's sitting at the wheel when she realizes. They probably won't have enough seats. "The neighbors have a minivan," Armin says.

She glances at him. He grins with sharp little teeth. "Your tails are showing," she deadpans.

She takes deep satisfaction in seeing Armin run around trying to see behind him. Obviously, his tails are still invisible. He has them under perfect control.

Once he's made sure Mikasa has been making fun he sends a glare. "Let's just get the van."

"We don't have the keys."

"I do," Armin says, grinning, the keys hanging from his fingers, jiggling.

Mikasa raises her eyebrows in surprise. She should maybe be more affronted. Being childhood friends with a kitsune tends to make you more immune to law breaking. "Since when?"

"They lent the van to me two months ago. I took the opportunity to make a copy." He throws the keys at her. Mikasa catches them in the air, rolling her eyes.

"You should be more respectful," she scolds him. She opens the van, slides inside. Armin sits next to her, pulls his seatbelt on. "I'm plenty respectful," he mutters under his breath, clearly distracted.

They are five minutes away from 6-fix-under when he makes a little victorious sound. "Found an empty abandoned warehouse on the port. I'm plugging the address in my phone. It'll give us the direction."

Mikasa knows her brother has a tendency to dive head first into stupid fights. Usually against humans, and with no harm done. Or mostly no harm done.

When she steps out of the car, she doesn't expect to fall on a horrifying blob-like creature. It has too many eyes to count, and its tentacles are slithering on the floor.

She taps the tattoo on the palm of her hand, murmurs a Japanese spell to summon her katana. She pulls it from her hand and slices a tentacle speeding toward her. It falls on the floor with a wet, disgusting sound. The tentacle writhes for a few seconds before becoming perfectly still.

Armin pokes his head outside and makes a disgusted face. He dodges an attack by jumping back into the car. "What is this thing?" He shouts at Mikasa.

"The thing Eren is trying to avoid," she guesses. She jumps back, turns on herself, cuts two more tentacles. "Go inside, I've got your back."

Armin nods. From the corner of her eyes, she sees him turn back into a fox. He runs over the hood of the car, hops down and runs to the door. He only turns into a human at this moment. His tails are visible. He's too distracted to keep them hidden.

Mikasa is distracted too. She gets whipped on the arm. She hisses under her breath. The wound is red and hurting, but not deep. As a vengeance, she ducks under one limb, and servers from the rest of the body. She slices a few eyes on her way. The creature squeals. It opens its mouth.

Teeth. She can only see that. Rows and rows of teeth, and silver liquid dripping from them.

A gunshot echoes in the street, saving her from a possible attack. She rolls to a safe place, her katana high over her head. She's ready to strike.

A short man is holding a gun, black hair, Korean features, steel gray eyes.

"I didn't need your help."

His gaze flickers to her. "Good. I'm almost out of bullets anyway," he throws back, tone blank.

"Mikasa!" Eren shouts when he sees her. Behind him are trailing three other people. The witch, Hange, in their stupid yellow coat, and three strangers. She runs to them. "Stay behind me," she orders.

Armin circles around her feet. He probably has something to tell her, but she doesn't have the time to concentrate on him. She barely avoids getting dragged by the ankle. She gets splashed by gray sticky jello spat by the monster.

She is so going to kill her brother. She liked this coat. He better buy her a new one when this is done.

Eren grabs her by the back of her jacket and throws her in the car. She finishes sprawled on his lap and a blond guy. He makes eye contact, blushes, and looks away. Eren grins at her. "Sorry, had to get you in." He pokes the blond in the cheek. "That's Jean. He's a loser."

She straightens herself in her brother's lap. "Sorry for this," she apologizes.

He shakes his head. "It's fine," he mutters.

Armin is driving. Next to him, the Korean guy. "That's Levi," Eren supplies. "He's a cop. He is in charge of the investigation."

"Why did you accept civilians to help you?" She automatically asks.

"Because I'm a fucking human, and as you can see, this is not a human case," Levi snaps.

She does not like his tone. He's an asshole. "Aren't there any Edgers cops?"

"I am not exactly a veteran in the Edge World."

"He's only been aware of the Edge World for a little under a week," Hange chimes in. Mikasa entertains the idea of throwing them out of the window.

She crosses her arms. Eren massages her shoulders. "Please calm down, Mikasa, it isn't his fault," he soothes her.

"Eren is perfectly capable of throwing himself in danger," Armin points out.

A loud noise stops any possible conversation. One of the strangers, Jean, yells. "THE CREATURE, IT'S BEHIND US!"

Hange guffaws. "It's the point, stupid!"

"ARMIN!" Levi shouts.

He barely avoids the walker. She falls back on the sidewalk, her green eyes wide, gaping. Mikasa feels a bit sorry for her.

"Get my bag from the floor," Eren orders.

She gives him the bag. He takes out a bottle. Mikasa recognizes it right away. "No," she refuses. He smiles, all sharp teeth and twinkling eyes.

"It's gonna be fun!"

"You are missing so many cases," breathes Jean. She thinks she could get along pretty well with him.

Eren opens the window. He sticks his head out. Mikasa wants to yank him back inside, but there is still murderous creature on their tail. Throwing a highly inflammable projectile stays on the mild side of terrible things that could happen.

The monster is much faster than they thought and has basically climbed on the roof of the car. It lets out a shrilling sound. Mikasa flinches and covers her ears.

"I hope this worked, because I'm pretty sure I lost the use of one of my ears," Levi complains.

Maybe they could throw him at the creature as bait. It would gain them some time.

"Take right!" Jean orders Armin.

He veers sharply, Mikasa gets thrown against the door. They burn the red light, almost get killed in the process, and win several loud honks. Her stomach makes itself known, reminding her that it does not like being treated so harshly.

"Or we almost there?" She pleads.

"Two minutes," Armin promises. She can see him grimacing in the side mirror.

They manage to not kill anyone on their desperate run to the port. Hange is humming _I will survive_ under their breath. The song is uncalled for, and would be hilarious in any other situation.

And definitely less appropriate.

Armin doesn't even park. The car screeches to a stop. They basically throw themselves out.

That's when the creature catches Armin by the waist, and dangles him over its mouth. Eren screams. Mikasa runs, feeling the ground under her feet, her heart in her chest beating, hard, so hard. She needs to go faster, she needs speed, she needs-

She crouches, and her mouth and she lets out a roar.

___

Jean has never met guardians. He's known about them, obviously. They are ancient lion-like creatures with a single horn on their head, their mane like fire.

Mikasa had dropped on all four and she'd changed into a Sin-You. She roars. She doesn't have a mane, but flames are dancing around her feet, oscillating between blue and violet. The monster is now missing a good chunk of its side. (Jean just assumes it is the side since he can't discern any difference with the rest of the body.)

Armin is tucked around her horn, a small orange fox. Jean runs to them, but Eren beats him there. He gathers Armin in his arm and gently slides him into the hood of his sweatshirt.

"Is he okay?" Jean asks.

Eren nods. He smooths a hand along Mikasa's body. "Thank you, Mikasa," he murmurs. He drops a kiss on her forehead. She makes a deep purring sound.

  
"Move, we don't have all day," Levi hurries them.

A roar brings Jean's attention back to the battle. Mikasa throws herself at the creature. She bites at a tentacle, claws wildly at it. It drips on the floor, drips on her black fur, like little stars on a dark night. She rips off a part of the enemy, and spits it out. Her teeth are the only thing Jean can see, sharp and impossibly dangerous.

"We need to get the fuck out of here," Levi mutters.

Jean definitely has an interest in this.

Mikasa closes her jaw around a tentacle and pulls. The creature comes with and she drags it on several meters. The door of the warehouse is only three meters away.

Jean, observing the battlefield, knows Mikasa will need help. He runs to Eren. "How many of these cocktails do you have?"

Eren smiles, baring his sharp teeth, a Molotov cocktail in hand. If Jean had ever thought Eren human, his delusions would have been broken right at this moment. He pulls out two bottles, hands them to Jean, and pulls out two more. "I still have two in my bag, an entire bottle of gasoline and some clothes. Hange has empty glass bottles in their coat."

"I am not gonna ask how they fit all this in their coat. I'm just going to assume it's witch stuff," he mutters. "We have to force it inside."

"So we just throw the cocktail at it?"

"Yes," Jean is confirmation.

Eren runs toward the monster.

This guy is suicidal, decides Jean. He throws the first bottle It recoils, barely avoiding a vicious claw attack from Mikasa. Silver liquid is dripping from various cuts on its body, numerous eyes are closed and ripped off.

Jean swallows to keep himself from puking.

Armin, as a fox, butts his head against his ankle. A second later, he's standing next to Jean. "Second floor." He points at the warehouse and the stairs on the side. "We could attack from above."

Hange and Levi are standing ready not far from the car. Jean, from here, can discern a glinting object in Levi's hand. Probably a lighter. Hange makes a small wave at him, and holds what looks like firecrackers. Or fireworks. Jean does not want to know. They grin, make a thumb at him. Jean is quite sure they have no idea what Armin and he plan to do, but are up for it anyway.

Hange is a mystery he has no interest in. (He can't say the same for Levi, though. Jean's seen him tracking their movements from the corner of his eyes since he's met them.)

They circle around the battlefield. Mikasa drives her horn directly into the monster. It makes a pained screech. Jean would have never thought he'd be happy to have his ears destroyed.

Their ascent on the stairs is loud, and Jean worries the monster will understand what is happening. It doesn't, too busy trying to avoid Eren's fiery projectiles and Mikasa deadly teeth. It is almost inside the warehouse now.

They reach the second floor. As Armin predicted, it circles around the wall, like a balcony. They have a full view of the first floor, wide, empty.

"Ready?!" Hange shouts.

Jean doesn't understand at first.

Armin gasps on his right. "They are crazy," he murmurs, disbelief in his voice. Jean catches Hange with several colorful rockets in their hands.

Fireworks indeed, then.

He searches Levi. He spots him right next to them. His face is paler than usual. Jean is quite sure the man only agreed to this madness because they don't have many options.

"We need to spread the gasoline," Armin says. "Open the bottle, run around."

Jean agrees with the plan. Efficient, simple. He opens the bottle, starts to dash around the second floor, pouring the gasoline over the edge. Armin carves holes in his bottle and throws down.

"GET OUT OF HERE!" Levi screams.

Hange has lightened the rockets.

If they stay, they are going to die.

"Transform!" He hisses at Armin. The blond morphs into a fox and jumps in the pocket of his hoodie. Jean runs as if his life depended on it.

It does.

He trips on the stairs. He curls up on himself, protecting Armin and his head. He rolls down, and sprawls on the floor on his back.

 _BOOM_.

The explosion tears through empty space, swallowing everything in the fire. It is followed by the unmistakable sound of fireworks. Jean thinks he can hear the gleeful laugh of Hange not far.

The sky is clear. Few stars are visible in the city, but Jean enjoys them all the same.

With the adrenaline gone, he can feel every cut and bruise on his body. His arms and back are probably more blue than beige. His breathing is ragged, his lungs are burning. Still, relief washes over him. It is done. Finished. He relaxes, slowly, one limb at a time.

A face appears over him. Black hair, black eyes, pink thin lips, fair skin. Mikasa. She isn't looking too well. She isn't looking too well, either. The points of her hair are , she has split lip, a cut under her eye. It is gonna scar. Her shoulders slump. "Where is Armin?" She demands, tone sharp. Even with how tired she looks, Jean has no doubt she would be able to kill her in an instant. He's seen her transform in a giant flaming lioness.

Jean feels him squirm against his belly. The fox slips out to jump on Mikasa. He curls around her neck, yips happily. He jumps on Eren then, who'd came behind them, and burrows in his shirt.

Eren laughs and screeches, wide grin and ocean eyes glinting. It warms Jean's chest, sends his heart into a frenzy.

Jean has made peace with these feelings a few days. He may be attracted to Eren more than only sexually, so what. Let it be.

Levi helps him up. Hange pats his head with a wide grin. Levi elbows them in the ribs. "Don't look so smug, you haven't done shit."

"Rude, Levi!" They squeal. "I helped you figure this thing out."

Levi rolls his eyes. Jean doesn't miss the fond smile at the corner of his lips. He can't shake off the feeling he's intruding on something.

"Well done, anyway," Levi congratulates them. Armin, who apparently hasn't decided to go back to his human form, jumps on Levi and butts his head against his cheeks. The man almost throws him away, and Jean laughs at Eren and Mikasa panicked faces.

"Never do that again," Levi grits between his teeth.

__

They have checked everyone over for injuries. No one is critically injured. Eren pets Armin on the head, and his friend makes a small purring sound. He is warm around his neck.

"We should check the remains," Hange suggests. Eren knows they want to see if there is enough left to conduct experiments. Levi wrinkles his nose in a gesture Eren has quickly associated with disgust or reluctance.

"Sure," he still says.

It doesn't surprise Eren. He thinks Levi would have trouble saying no to Hange.

The floor is covered with carbon, black soot spread on the ground. The remains are less than expected. Hange is frowning and Eren doesn't like that. "The amount of burnt flesh is not enough," they analyze.

"What do you mean?" Levi asks in a tight voice.

They stand up, raise their head, concern written all over their face. "It can't be dead."

A scream echoes in the warehouse. Eren's heart stops beating. It's Jean's voice.

He turns around. The monster is on Jean's face. Eren lets out a fighting cry and kicks it. It flies across the room.

Jean is heaving loudly, his hands around his throat. Levi kneels next to him. "Breathe," he orders, but his voice is soft. "Good thing you are alive, kiddo. Your sarcasm would be missed."

Eren wants to laugh, but anger burns in his belly, crawls at his throat, wants to yell until his voice gives out.

He runs after the creature.

It is much smaller than before and darts under cars. He tries to jump over it, but smaller means faster and it slithers away.

It escapes in the water.

A cruel laugh tears its way out of his throat.

He stops at the edge of the wall, staring at the dark water. It calls at him.

He takes off his clothes, and shivers in the cold. He can hear the loud What the fuck coming from Jean some meters away.

He digs into his bag and pulls out his pelt. He throws it around his shoulders and it coils around him.

His back cracks. His shoulders morphs. His legs melt together, his arms shortens. His bones rearrange themselves under his skin, his face changes. His teeth finally fit in his mouth.

He jumps in the ocean. The water envelops him like the feeling of a motherly hug.

He is home.

Fish dart away as he swims past them. He can feel the vibrations of the water at their movements. Weeds brush against his belly and it tickles. He lets out a snort. Bubbles escape from his snout, float to the surface.

The vibrations of a slow and clumsy creature reach him.

He chases after it. He spots the monster easily. It slithers between the rocks in a mad run for its life. Eren, for a moment, pities it. Every living organism just wants to survive. The creature is doing the same. It has probably done all this for surviving. It created so much disaster (killing its creators, destroying the book) all of it to stay alive.

But Eren is more animal than human at the best of times, and it needs to die. It has done too much harm.

He swims in circles around it and it tries to get away. In a lucky shot, one of its tentacles catches against his skin and leaves a painful cut. Eren hits it with his tail. It bites on it.

He groans at the pain. Colorless blood drifts in the water. Anger churns in his stomach. This thing has to disappear.

He slams the monster against a rock. He slams it again. And again. And again.

It stops moving. It drifts to the bottom of the ocean. Eren circles around it for a bit more, to make sure. It stays immobile.

He lazily makes his way back to the wall of the port. He makes his way over the stairs. Land walking is stupidly difficult in this form. He hops step by step.

Hange screams in delight as they see him. "Eren!"

He lets the pelt slide from his shoulders. It pools around him, leaving his naked and vulnerable. He shivers strongly as cold air hits him.

Mikasa throws herself .at him She pats his face and his shoulders, his arms. "Are you okay?"

He nods. Talking is always harder the first minutes of his return as a human. Armin climbs on him, and licks his face is an affectionate gesture.

"Eren!" Jean shouts, anger clear in his tone. Mikasa stands up, ready to fight. Eren flinches and tightens his pelt around himself. Jean kneels in front of him. "You are a suicidal fucking dumbass."

"What?" Eren articulates. His teeth are too sharp for his human mouth, his tongue feels weird.

"Are you kidding me? Is it all you have to say?"

"What did I do?"

"Are you crazy?" Jean shakes him exasperated. "You just ran off after the monster, undresses and jumps into the water and you don't come up. What do you want me to think except that you drowned? I didn't know you were a selkie. I was fucking worried."

"Oh," Eren breathes. There's something warm in his chest, and a soft fluttery feeling in his belly. "I'm sorry?" He apologizes, uncertain.

Jean shakes his head. Eren discerns fondness in his brown eyes. "You. Are. A. Fucking. Idiot," Jean declares.

He pulls at Eren's neck and kisses him.

Eren freezes. Jean's lips are warm, almost hot against his own cold lips from the ocean water. Jean's hands come up to frame his jaw and gently run along the bone. The touch is soft and careful, and it makes tension uncoils inside him.

He kisses back. Jean makes a pleased sound at the back of his throat. His lips brush against his own. Eren tangles his fingers in Jean's short hair, breathing in the air trapped in the tight space between their faces.

Hange whistles. "Go get him, tiger!"

Eren laughs. "I think I got him," he teases. Jean flushes a pretty red.

Eren stands up on shaky legs. Fingers curl around his own. He looks down to see Jean's pale hand. He looks up and smiles, tired and cold and still naked, but happy.

___

They make their way home, bruised, battered, but victorious. Levi wants to collapse on his bed and sleep for the next six months.

They shoo Desta and Alexander away. Alexander starts crying again, insisting on hugging all of them (which Levi promptly refuses). Desta barely glances at them. She stays just long enough to call her private driver.

Armin has finally come back to his human form and is now tending to Eren's and Mikasa's injuries. His own injuries are minimal. He was shielded from the worst by Jean.

Eren can't seem to sit still, squirming and complaining. Levi hits him behind the head. He whines and throws him a betrayed look. "Stop moving," Levi scolds him. Eren pouts but makes an effort. Levi hit with a wave of affection for the stupid brat, ruffles his hair. "Hey, I didn't tell you earlier, but you did good, kid."

Eren ducks his head, clearly embarrassed. "Thank you," he mumbles.

Jean snorts next to him. Eren glares at him.

Ah, young love.

He finds Hange in the lab, scribbling furiously in a notebook. Their hair is down, falling in wet curls on their shoulders and down their back. Their shirt is damp from it. Levi sighs. He leaves the room to come back with a brush and an elastic.

"You should take of yourself more," he chastises them.

"I have to write this information down now," they mumble, still writing, "or I could forget some details."

He can understand as a detective. Details are sometimes crucial.

He takes over the task of combing their hair. It curls around his fingers in beautiful thick chocolate locks as he brushes. "Tell me if I hurt you."

Hange only hums.

By the time they are done, he has braided their hair. They look up, spot him sitting on a chair fiddling with his phone. Their hand comes up to touch their new hairstyle. They stare at him. Levi raises an eyebrow, confused. Does he have something on his face?

"Go on the date with me."

Levi blinks. "I'm- what?" He blurts out.

Hange plants themselves in front of him. Levi has to look up to see their face. "It's a simple question, Levi. Oh, well I guess it isn't really a question," they muse out loud. "What I meant to say is," they correct. "Will you go on a date with me?"

"I-"

"Simple question: yes or no?"

"Yes!" Levi answers. "Yes, I will go on a date with you."

Hange's smile is wide and victorious. They throw an arm around his shoulders. "We make a good team, you know," they point out. "We should do this again."

Levi takes the hand brushing against his chest, tangling their fingers.

"Don't jinx it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this took so much time to edit ugh....
> 
> WELL GUYS THIS FIC IS DONE
> 
> thank you for sticking with it until the end! i hope you enjoyed it. i had a lot of fun writing it, even though it was my first mystery
> 
> this fic will have a sequel! there are things that were not answered, and others that need to be developed. hope i'll see you again in the next fic of this series
> 
> you can follow me on [tumblr](http://elyteracy.tumblr.com)


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